Not the Only One
by ShyGemini2108
Summary: A/U featuring Gail and Holly. A different look at them as individuals and as a couple. What happens when one of them calls their relationship off and is then left reeling from her own misery? Are they really soul-mates or is it possible to move on? Reviews welcomed and appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

Present Day Heroes (Preface)

The darkness still hadn't broke and Gail was beyond tired of waiting for it to. It had been seven hours…seven of the longest hours of her life and in less than thirty minutes, her six-week project would finally be over. She liked the sound of that…OVER; not particularly the project itself, she hadn't minded being on an undercover sting with Traci, but she had missed her regular, old life. Well, that was a lie too; she wasn't sure what she missed, she only knew that she wanted this sting to be over…

"There," Traci said in a hushed whisper. "He's going into there."

Gail's ice blue eyes searched through the darkness and settles on Sweeny White, the largest mover of illegal guns in the area, and nodded at Traci. They had him on a wiretap admitting to expecting a shipment tonight, but this wasn't why Gail was involved. She was here to pick up Sweeny's second-in-command on the kidnapping of his four year old daughter and the possible slaying of his ex-wife. She and Traci knew that they could only bust this case together and now it seemed like it was finally happening.

"We move on my count," Traci said. She tugged on her bulletproof vest and eyed Gail closely. "Are you ready?" Gail nodded her compliance. "Okay…let's go!"

* * *

><p>Holly watched the movement of eager surprise and congratulations snake through the division halls with baited trepidation. She was relieved that the efforts of Traci and Gail's team had netted Sweeny White and his second-in-command, but having to work with Gail again was going to do nothing great for her mindset. It was difficult enough dating someone who worked in the line of fire daily; it was easily worse to "used to date" someone who is in the line of fire daily. And while Gail had been gone, things had gotten tenuously better for Holly. Everyone in the division had stopped treating her as if she were only Gail Peck's ex-girlfriend, and more of an actual independent person. But now all of that was for naught, because Gail Peck was on her way back and from what Holly understood, she would be receiving a hero's welcome. Just what Holly needed; for Gail's presence to be ever clearer in her mind.<p>

Holly stopped walking and took a deep breath. It was useless to try and stop thinking about Gail. She had tried the first six months they separated. Now, two months after those six months, Holly felt that her every waking moment was spent thinking about Gail Peck in some way, shape or form.

"Excuse me…excuse me…Holly…" the girl smiling in front of her said again. Well, she really wasn't a girl, she was closer to twenty-six and she had joined the division about seven weeks earlier.

"Sorry," Holly frowned shaking the fog from her brain. "Am I in your way?"

"No…" the woman blinked twice and then smiled.

"Oh…" Holly shifted from one foot to the other. "You're Gabrielle, right?"

"Yeah, everyone just call me Elle though…" she was still smiling.

"Oh, Elle. Sorry for standing in your way," Holly offered her a smile. "How are you liking it so far? The new Division and all?"

"It's good so far. A lot less hectic than my old division if you can believe that."

"That's is kinda hard to believe," Holly laughed. She had heard through the grapevine that Elle had moved from Quebec to work with this division.

"Well…" Elle said a bit nervously, "I was wondering if you would maybe want to go out and have a drink sometime. I don't know a lot of people here…" she began.

Holly was a little stunned. Elle was a beautiful woman, with soft tan skin, big green eyes and long brown curls that were being held in a tight ponytail. Although Holly had never really looked at her that way, she was instantly attracted to Elle. Still, she could feel the ghost of Gail in her heart and how would that be fair to Elle? Still, how bad would a drink really be? "Sure…" Holly agreed after a moment.

* * *

><p>Gail hated to admit to herself that the only reason she had gone back to the division that day was because Holly would be there. The bust had gone off without a hitch, and she and Traci were being hailed as heroes of the community for getting illegal guns off of the streets. Still, Gail had to admit that it all felt a bit…empty. She would end up at her apartment all alone and that was truly miserable. And she had found out the hard way that misery only led her to drink.<p>

"Detective Peck," her mother smiled as she approached her daughter. Inspector Elaine Peck couldn't have been happier about the bust her daughter had taken part in. She was proving herself to be a great detective, and even better, someone worthy of the Peck name. "I hear that congratulations are in order," she stated coyly.

Gail tried to smile, but her attention had been stolen by the girl in front of Holly smiling. The two seemed to be having TOO GOOD of a conversation, therefore it obviously wasn't work related. "Gail, are you listening?" Inspector Peck asked as she turned to see what had stolen her daughter's attention. She groaned when she saw Holly behind her. "Your attention should be over her," Elaine forcefully reminded her daughter. It wasn't that Elaine disliked Holly, but Holly had a way of calming Gail and making her content, which didn't bode well for her daughter climbing the career ladder. Since she and Holly had been apart, Gail had taken her role as Detective seriously and it had shown. This was the fourth of five major bust that Gail had headed up in her department and for her efforts, the Division had never looked better. Elaine knew one day soon that Gail would beat her record of becoming Inspector by age forty. She was only twenty-eight now and a decorated Detective.

"Inspector…" Gail began, but proper words to tell her mother to stay out of her personal life failed her. Instead, she took in a deep breath and tried to compose some comprehendible statement.

"Gail, what are you doing here?" She was saved by the sound of Traci's voice. "I told you I would do the paperwork on the bust," Traci reminded her friend.

"You were where I was headed next," Elaine smiled. "You are doing an excellent job, Traci…you are going to make the Peck name proud soon…" Elaine said referring to Traci's impending nuptials to her son Steve. "Well, let me get out of my two 'supercops' way," Elaine smiled genuinely at Gail. This was something Gail never expected to see…a genuine sense of approval from her mother.

"Is it just me, or does it feel like the sky is falling?" Traci questioned lightly as Elaine walked away. But Gail was paying no attention. Her gaze was fixated on the fact that Holly and that girl seemed to be exchanging numbers.

"Who is that?" Gail asked ignoring Traci's banter.

"The new cop, Gabrielle Woods. You got an entire briefing package on her. I think she is joining your unit."

"Joining my unit?" Gail said with no real interest about that situation, but all of her focus was on the fact that Gabrielle was talking to HER girlfriend….

"She's not yours anymore," Traci chimed into her chain of thought. "Holly is not your girlfriend, Gail. So you can't gawk at her and look like a hurt puppy dog when she talks to another woman with any interest." Traci had begged and pleaded with her to stop the charade before she and Holly were really hurt, but Gail had failed to listen. She had broken Holly's heart and by extension, her own.

Gail narrowed her eyes and searched for any reasonable rebuttal. "Saying puppy and dog together is redundant Traci!" she snapped at her future sister-in-law before walking in the opposite direction of the monstrosity unfolding before her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello everyone thanks for giving my new story the time of day! In the previous post, it seemed as if I forgot a few things:**

**I own nothing and of course, reviews are welcomed and appreciated! Enjoy!**

Not Your Girl

"Officer Chelyn Blaise," Gail said smiling brightly as she moved towards the girl standing on the front porch of a cabin in the woods. "How are you today?"

"I've been better," Chelyn answered honestly. "It's been a hectic couple of days," she said pointing to her wrist that was wrapped in a cast. "But I'm better now…just been in hiding as it were," the girl smiled at Gail. Chelyn was only twenty-two years old, but had become an integral part of Gail Peck's team. She did undercover operations better than any cop that Gail had ever met and she believe it was in no small part to the fact that Traci Nash was her half-sister. They were both gifted at police work, but Chelyn had the ability to blend in seamlessly to any situation. This was perhaps why Gail had chosen her to head up the Blancher Reynold case.

"How did that happen?" Gail asked climbing the stairs.

"Minor motorcycle accident," Officer Blaise smiled. "I laid the bike down gently…"

"Well, I'll make sure to tell your sister that," Gail teased. "Is that why you're up here? To recoup?"

"Feeling sorry for myself too," Chelyn admitted. "The wedding is in a couple of days and I can't break cover. How is Traci so far…nervous?"

"She won't tell if she is," Gail laughed. "She is still working on the Lockheart case."

"Identity theft…Lord, what's I'd give for identity theft instead of psycho murders and kidnappers," Chelyn laughed with no real humor.

"So you think Blancher Reynolds is kidnapping these girls and selling them overseas?"

"No," Chelyn shook her head. "Shit no," she said turning and heading inside. Gail followed behind her. "You want a beer?" Gail shook her head no and Chelyn pulled one for herself from the fridge. "Blancher Reynolds is no kidnappers, Gail, no more than I am a superhero. I don't know…he has the money and clout to pull off kidnapping, but he doesn't have the balls to do it."

"So, how much longer do you think you'll need on this case?" Gail questioned.

"No idea…sorry. I thought this would be open and shut…" she popped the top on her beer. "I thought I would be home in time for the wedding; but this is …"

"Take your time, Chelyn. These things are rarely open and shut, you just happen to be good and it's been happening like that for you."

"Just trying to be Detective by thirty like my HERO," Chelyn teased. "Hey…can you tell Traci I'm sorry though…"

"Yeah, I'll even take the brunt of her anger for you."

Chelyn took a swig from her beer bottle and settled on the couch. "You know that other thing you asked me to look into…"

Gail sat across from her friend and pondered if she really wanted the information she had asked for or not. Four month ago, when Holly first started dating Officer Gabrielle Woods, Gail had causally asked Chelyn to see if there was "anything she needed to know" about the new officer joining her team. This was the first time she and Chelyn had gotten to sit down in privacy since then.

"What did you find?" Gail wanted to hear.

"Nothing…she's a girl scout. Like not even an overdue library book. She's a good person; everyone says she's an excellent officer. I don't think you'll have any problem with her under your command," Chelyn said finishing off her beer. She watched how Gail took the news in and even though she rarely had very little sense of what was happening at the Division, she wasn't dense either. "That's not the real reason you asked about Gabrielle though, is it?"

"Why do you say that?" Gail asked seriously. Her mind was barely there with Chelyn.

"Gail…you know I don't ask questions, right?"

"That sounds like a preface to something," Gail said standing.

"Gabrielle Woods is a good person, from all that I can tell and a good cop. So…cut her a break…"

"She's with Holly."

"Oh…worshipping at the same temple," Chelyn grimaced.

"So would you cut her a break…if she were with one of your exes?"

"One of my exes, yes…the person I love …hell no," Chelyn answered honestly.

Gail waited for the other shoe to drop. "You aren't going to tell me that Holly isn't mine?"

"From what I understand…you made that decision a year ago…"

* * *

><p>Eleven Months Prior<p>

Gail gripped the pedestal sink and prayed that this feeling would pass. It had passed before, after what seemed like forever, but this time it was different. She was hot and shaking and even though she could feel her breath coming and going, she thought for a moment she would stop breathing. She tried to take a deep breath, but the air caught in her throat and she had to release it in a rushed second. Geez, was it possible to drown without water.

"Babe…" Holly said tapping on the bathroom door gently. "Gail are you okay in there?"

Gail took a strangled breath and turned on the faucet to buy herself some time. Her breathing settled a bit and she could finally speak. "I'm fine, Holly," she grunted out. "I'll be out in like two seconds," she stammered.

"Okay, babe." Gail could hear Holly back away from the door. Gail looked at herself in the mirror and pulled her short blond hair into a tiny ponytail. Her blue eyes were now flushed with tears and now tinted a bit red. Gail began rubbing her eyes as she opened the bathroom door.

"I think something is in my eye," she mumbled plopping down on the bed beside Holly. "They both are driving me crazy," she acted, still rubbing her eyes.

"Gail, don't rub them," Holly smiled. She pulled her girlfriend's hands away from her eyes and gently cupped her face. "Yeah, they are red and watering, sweetheart," Holly said wiping the tears away gently. "Stop rubbing them, okay…" she said seriously.

"I'll try," Gail said sinking down in bed. She didn't know if she could have been more frightened or more embarrassed by the moment she had just had. One second, she was kissing her beautiful girlfriend, the next second, she couldn't breathe and she was fleeing Holly. This had happened a few times before, not to this magnitude, and never enough to make her have to hide from someone.

Holly leaned back over to kiss her, but Gail pulled back slightly. "The moment passed?" Holly pouted a bit. Gail's eyes shot to her, but saw the playfulness in her girlfriend's eyes. "It's fine that you don't want me anymore," she joked.

Gail threaded her fingers with Holly's, "You are such a dork," Gail rolled her eyes, glad that her nerves were returning to normal. "Steve is going to ask Traci to marry him…" she blurted out.

"That's amazing!" Holly said happily. "She'll definitely say yes."

"How do you know that?"

"You can't say no to a Peck," Holly laughed.

Gail lay back in the bed and couldn't help but laugh also. "One day, I'm going to hold you to that," Gail said feeling ready to finish what she had started earlier.

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

Holly closed her eyes to the blaring look of hurt that she knew she would find on Elle's face. "I'm sorry. It's not you," she promised, opening her brown eyes slowly. There it was; the look of hurt pooling in Elle's emerald green orbs. "I'm just exhausted, sweetheart." She was being halfway truthful; her workload was amazingly crushing since three of the crime lab techs had been splitting time with another division. But the real reason Holly was so "unfocused" was because in two days, she would have to attend Steve and Traci's wedding.

Elle plastered on a smile. "No need to explain," she said swinging her legs to the side of the bed. "I think I'm going to head home though."

"Elle, don't be like that," Holly whimpered. She knew she had screwed up. Elle had gotten off from work and came over to make her dinner. Not only had Holly been distracted, but after she had lured Elle to bed, she had failed to be focused enough for either of them to enjoy themselves. Now it seemed like Elle had gotten the point and wanted to leave.

Although it had been months and they were exclusive, Elle still felt like Holly's mind was somewhere else. She felt Holly wrap her arms around her taunt waist. "Stay," she said softly into Elle's neck. "I'm sorry, baby."

Elle turned her head and looked at Holly. Damn, she was beautiful, smart, funny, caring…but did she really want to be with her? "No, I'm off for the next two days and my younger brother is coming in. He's never been to Toronto before, so he's excited." She pulled a shirt over her t-shirt and searched the floor for her jeans. "I'll call you tomorrow, but I know you have to work."

"Spend the night," Holly pleaded again; this time placing her hand under Elle's shirt and rubbing her taunt stomach. Elle could feel Holly gently pull on her ear with her teeth. "I'll make it up to you," Holly promised. Elle felt her body tighten a bit.

"You aren't playing fair," she moaned.

"I'll play however you want me to," Holly whispered seductively.

Hours later while Elle slept, Holly had moved into her living room. Elle was the lightest sleeper she had ever been with…so unlike Gail, who could sleep through a tornado. Dammit, why did she keep thinking about Gail? They had been over forever, almost a year for that matter, and now, to think about Gail was just cruel. Especially when she had Elle. Gabrielle was open and caring and beautiful; so why did her mind keep fixating on Gail?

They hadn't really talked since Gail returned from her last undercover operation. Even when Gail had a chance to come down to the lab, she worked with other pathologists, which shouldn't have, but hurt Holly's feelings. Gail was over her and Holly had to grow up and realize that. Of course, that would be a lot easier if Steve's wedding wasn't in two days.

"Hey…what are you doing out here?" Elle said stifling a yawn. Her soft curls were flowing freely around her face and oversized t shirt clung to her frame.

"I didn't want to wake you," Holly answered honestly.

"Oh," Elle smiled softly. "Well…I'm awake now."

Holly bit down on her lower lip as her eyes swept Elle's frame. "Well, let's see if we can't do something about that," she said clenching her jaw gently. If nothing else could distract her from the ghost of Gail…sex would have to do.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Enjoy and as always: I own nothing :) **

Seafoam Green

Gail took a deep breath, knowing that it was absolutely too late to actually protest now. It was about three minutes before she would be walking down the aisle before Traci and it was beyond too late to complain about the seafoam green lace dress hugging her body. Thankfully, Traci had at least chosen a short halter dress, so it wasn't too much seafoam. Still, Gail cringed at the lace dress on her body. "You look great," Traci whispered to her friend. "I'm supposed to be the nervous one."

"How could you be nervous; you look gorgeous!" Gail smiled. And Traci really did too, in her cream colored lace wedding gown. "I'm just cursing your sister out in my head for making me do this alone…"

"Well, she is a hellion," Traci laughed, "and she would do anything not to have to wear that color green. I believe she actually said that," Traci said shifting her dress one final time. "Do I really look good?"

"You look amazing, Traci," Gail said firmly.

"Good…" Traci nodded trying to let that fact sink in. "I kinda miss Chelyn."

"You know she would be here if she could," Gail reminded her.

"I know," Traci shrugged. "It's still nice to have one of my sisters here," she smiled. She pulled Gail into a quick hug. "Okay, are we ready for this?"

Gail laughed. "That's a question for you."

"Yeah…well absolutely then!"

"Ahh…you look so cute in your little lace dress," Steve said hugging his little sister tightly. It was an hour after he had said his vows to Traci and now he was exuberant. "I can't wait to get the pictures back from this!"

Gail punched Steve in his exposed ribs. "Shut up, Steve," Gail warned. "You know how much I hate that color…"

"That's why I choose it," Steve teased. He took two flutes of champagne from a waiter that was passing and gave one to Gail. "Drink up little sister! It's a celebration."

Gail drained the glass of champagne in one long swallow. "I will be getting you back for this color scheme, Steve," she said patting his face. "I will be getting you back…"

"Mingle…try to have a good time before mom finds you someone to mingle with," Steve warned. He pulled another flute of champagne and handed it to her.

"Thanks for the advice…I'll go ahead and hide," Gail said taking the drink and draining that one too. "I'm going to take a bottle from the bar…I'll tell them to put it on your tab, okay," she smiled sarcastically. She moved to the bar and grabbed a bottle of champagne and headed towards one of the corners in the room.

"Gail," she could hear an all too familiar voice call her. It felt like being doused with a bucket of cold water when she turned to see Holly standing behind her.

"You came," Gail mumbled.

"I was invited," Holly said feeling out of place almost immediately.

"Yeah…sorry; I know," Gail said shaking her head. "That was an asshole thing to say. Did you enjoy the ceremony?"

"It was beautiful…Traci is beautiful today," Holly smiled and Gail could feel herself melt a bit.

"She is a beautiful bride," Gail agreed. She allowed her eyes to settle on Holly. She wore a little black dress that made Gail regret not having her tonight. "So….where is your girlfriend, Elle?" Gail asked as a method to distract herself.

"She had to work," Holly grinned knowing what Gail was doing. Gail knew better than anyone where Elle was because she scheduled her.

"Oh…that's right…" Gail smirked. "Well, we were kinda short staffed…"

"You don't have to explain; she didn't mind working today."

"Well…that's awesome that she didn't mind working," Gail said pulling nervously at her dress. "Well… have a good time, Holly. You look beautiful, by the way," Gail said sincerely.

"Thanks Gail…you look…do you still hate green?"

Gail couldn't help, but smile. "Yes; I still hate green."

"It still looks good on you though. Well, I just wanted to speak. I think I'm heading out soon…" Gail smiled as Holly walked pass her and to a table of their colleague.

"Well, that was awkward," she noted to herself as she settled at a table in the corner. She pried the cork out of the champagne bottle and turned bottle to the sky. She watched Holly flitter to a few more tables and had to close her eyes. Gail could feel the room get a little warmer, and her breath becoming a little more shallow. "Shit!" she breathed in quickly. "No…no…no…please not now." Gail stood and searched anywhere for cover. She quickly made her way across the room and outside into the warm air. She gripped the railing on the empty deck and tried to get her wits about her.

"Gail…Gail…" Holly said gently. "Are you okay?" The heat of embarrassment rose to Gail's face and it flushed red. "Gail, sweetheart," Holly said softly. "It's going to be okay, alright. I'm right here…just breathe," Holly instructed. She felt Gail wrap her arms her and Holly pulled her in close. "Hey I'm here," Holly said again.

"Holly…" Gail choked out, "Get me out of here..."

* * *

><p>Gail's apartment was as Holly remembered it. The pictures of them still littered the living room as if they were still together. Even in the bedroom, there was a picture of Gail and Holly on Gail's dresser. Holly frowned, wishing she had just dropped Gail off instead of bringing her upstairs to her apartment.<p>

"I'm so embarrassed," Gail admitted coming back into the living room.

"How long, Gail?" Holly asked evenly. "How long have you been…"

"Been having panic attacks?" Gail said sadly. "A little over a year," she answered weakly.

"So, before we broke up," Holly said calculating it up easily. "Why didn't you tell me, Gail?"

"I had just made Detective…and you were so proud, like you could finally be proud of me…"

"That's not true, Gail and you know it. I've always been proud of you and I loved you so much. You could have told me," Holly broke in. It wasn't fair for Gail to blame her. As much as she had loved Gail, there was no way she would have felt differently about her because of panic attacks. "I would have never judged you and I had always loved, Gail."

"Holly, I'm not blaming you. I'm saying it is embarrassing and I never wanted you to know."

"So you struggled with this by yourself?"

"It's minor most of the time…" Gail said moving closer to Holly. "Just thank you for saving me tonight. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there…" Holly was quiet for a moment. "What are you thinking about?"

"Is this why there couldn't be an us?" Holly asked, her pride obviously wounded. "Because you didn't trust me enough to tell me about this?"

"I can't have you look at me like I'm some type of weak puppy," Gail said avoiding the real question.

Holly nodded her head, trying to swallow her anger. "Okay," she said sadly. "Goodbye Gail and good luck."

"Holly…" Gail reached her and tugged at her arm, "I couldn't let anyone know…"

"And no one will know," Holly promised taking back her arm. "Goodbye Gail." She turned and headed out of the door without another word.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Enjoy everyone! I own nothing! The next chapter will be posted after the weekend and I will try to make it longer! Thanks for reading and please, feel free to review!**

Playing In Traffic

"Don't play in traffic, Chelyn. If anything goes NOT as planned, just abandoned the mission…get out of there, okay?"

Chelyn couldn't help but laugh at Gail's use of her phrase. It simply meant, "Keep your ass out of trouble," but Chelyn used it with such frequency that Gail had picked up on the phrase. "I love the use of the phrase," Chelyn noted winking charmingly. "But I understand…no chance taking," she agreed easily. "I'm happy this is almost over though. There is nothing sicker than seeing young girls and boys transported into slavery. It makes me sick to my stomach!" Chelyn put the earplugs in her ears, which were actually recording devices. "How do I look?"

Gail took stock of the girl and then felt it necessary to reiterate; "Chelyn, don't play in traffic."

"Don't worry about me, Gail. I've done this before," Chelyn reminded her. And like that, the girl was off, blending into the crowd of concert-goers in the open field. Chelyn had used her leads to track one of Blancher's associates to this location, and since there was a multitude of young girls especially here, there was a good chance he would be doing some work. Chelyn just wanted to end this case; she had found out more about human nature and sadism than she cared to know.

"Can you hear me, Chelyn?" Gail questioned as the girl got a safe distance away. After a few seconds, she heard Chelyn cool voice on the other side of her earplugs. Gail relaxed a bit then, and moved through the concert easily, making sure her plain-clothes cops were in place.

It had been eight days since the wedding and Gail still felt drained. The look on Holly's face still haunted her and she would have given anything to tell Holly about her panic disorder in a gentler manner. Hell, she would have done anything for Holly not to know at all, or even better not to have the disorder at all.

The attacks had started simply enough; things got under skin and Gail would feel a little short of breath. It started right around the time of her Detective exam, but Gail figured it would be over after the exam was over. Oh, if she were that lucky. It only got worse once she made Detective and her mother's expectation had skyrocketed. Gail had tried everything to get it under control on her own, but every attempt seemed futile. She was in a horrible predicament, and she didn't know where to turn. She especially couldn't turn to Holly, because even though she knew Holly loved her unconditionally, the embarrassment would have been enough to kill her.

"I have a visual on the suspect," Gail heard, even though Chelyn was breaking up. "I'm going to follow…"

"Dammit," Gail murmured. She didn't like the reception she was getting from the feed on Chelyn's end, but there was little she could do right now. She flowed through the crowd as inconspicuously as possible, hoping that Chelyn didn't need any backup.

"Detective…" Elle said surprised to see her unit leader at a concert. "I didn't know you liked the Shades…"

"The who?" Gail said stammering as she looked at Holly standing close to the girl. Gail noticed almost immediately that their fingers were threaded together and the sight made her sick to the stomach.

"The Shades…it's their concert," Elle said with a smile plastered on her face. This was perhaps what Gail hated the most, besides the fact that this was the person with Holly, Elle always seemed to be chipper. Who in the hell, especially in police work, was chipper all the damn time!

"Well, I'm just here," Gail said abruptly. She allowed her eyes the time to look at Holly properly, but Holly ignored her completely.

"Well, have a good time, Detective," Elle offered either way.

Before Gail could open her mouth for a snarky remark, her hand went to the blaring screeching in her ear. "What's the matter?" Holly asked at the obvious pain Gail was suffering from. "Gail…"

Gail bent over and pulled the earpiece from her ear. "Shit…" Gail stammered, standing upright. She pushed pass Holly and Elle and sliced through the crowd. She couldn't see Chelyn but she could see four of her plant in the crowd. She ran up to a cop named Richard. "What happened?" she asked in an almost panic.

"I don't know, Detective," Richard said rubbing his ear. The same piercing sound that Gail had heard, was now ringing in his ears. "We've lost Chelyn's signal though!"

"Shit, where was she?"

"Near the stage," Richard confirmed pointing towards a black van near the edge of a wooded area. Before Richard could get the words out good, the black van started up and started moving. Gail could see Chelyn sprinting towards the van and the back swing open.

"Shit!" Richard screamed out, sprinting towards the van with Gail close behind.

* * *

><p>Gail appreciated the fact that a bump on the head had fogged her brain to most of what had happened after she saw Chelyn chasing after that van. She only knew two things; that everyone made it out okay and they had gotten Blancher's associate, who just so happened to be the manager for The Shade.<p>

"Four girls in the back of the van," Gail could hear Chelyn said in the close distance. Gail shook her head and tried to sit up. "Dammit," she murmured touching her head tenderly.

"You should lie back down," she heard a voice say gently. "You took a pretty bad bump on the head."

"What…uh…how?" Gail said, her blue eyes widening a bit.

"You nearly got hit by a van…which is a lot scarier than it sounds," Holly informed her softly. "Even more so when someone is watching it from a distant. Undercover case?"

"What other type of case do I have the luxury of working on?" Gail said lying back down.

"I knew you hated bands like The Shade," Holly said shaking her head.

"I didn't even know who was performing," Gail admitted. "It's nice that your girlfriend likes them though…where is your girlfriend, by the way?" Holly rolled her eyes to the barb. "I thought you were never going to speak to me again…"

"I never said that…"

"You didn't have to," Gail said evenly. "Your look said it all. The penetrating disgust of failure … I'm used to getting that look from my mother…"

"Don't compare me to Elaine Peck," Holly warned. She was in this room, with Gail because she didn't know where else to be. When she saw Gail in danger, it was almost automatic that she had to make sure she was okay. "We need to have a real conversation."

"You haven't been answering my call or texts…" Gail reminded her.

"I've been pissed," Holly said easily.

"And preoccupied with your new girl toy," Gail managed to get out before her room door was swung open.

"Detective Peck," the doctor said looking down at her chart. "Looks like you don't have a concussion…you can be released now."

"How is Officer Chelyn?"

"I can't give you specifics, but she is fine. Her wrist is in pain, but it looks like just some cuts and bruises."

"Good," Gail managed to smile. The girl was reckless sometime, but efficient."

"I still wouldn't recommend you drive, Detective. But with some aspirin and rest, you should be good as new in a couple of days."

"I'll take her home," Holly offered, which solicited a raise eyebrow from Gail, but a smile from the doctor.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews and comments. This will probably be one of the longer chapters and although it's not super long; I kinda like the pace it sets for the story. Short and sweet; which was the plan for this story from the beginning. Still, I hope everyone enjoys it :) Please feel free to review and comment :) As always, I own nothing!

Bargaining

And there she was again, in the apartment that she swore never to return to the last time she was there. Nothing had changed in the six days since she had been there last, and when Gail closed the door behind them, Holly felt that familiar anger overtake her again. Why was she here…and why did she agree to bring Gail home?

"I shouldn't have come up," she murmured to herself more than to Gail. Gail only started at her feebly as she tossed her keys into a decorative bowl on her countertop.

"You didn't have to bring me home, Gail almost offered, but stopped herself. It would have sounded callous and furthermore, she was overjoyed that Holly still gave two shits about her. So instead, she offered Holly a glass of water.

"I'm fine," Holly declined, making tiny circles with her fingertips on the countertop. After a few more seconds of uncomfortable silence, Holly sighed deeply. "Gail….we need to talk."

"Is that why you drove me home?" Gail asked leaning against her stove. She didn't want to sit for bad news, and she couldn't imagine any other type of news coming from Holly at this point.

Holly didn't know how to answer that question. "I drove you home, because you needed a ride," she rationalized. "I didn't think I would come upstairs…"

"It was a surprise to me too…" Gail had to agree.

"I want to hate you, Gail," Holly said matter-of-factly. "I should hate you…"

"But you don't…" Gail finished for her. It was Gail being neither callous, nor arrogant; she just understood what Holly didn't want to feel. They were still in love, and unfortunately for Holly, she was lousy at concealing the fact.

"You broke my heart for nothing," she stopped her words when Gail's eyes widened. There was a rebuttal forming on Gail's lips, so Holly overtook the conversation. "It's nothing to me," Holly corrected herself. There is obviously very little you can do to stop me from feeling some type of way about you.

Gail took the words and let them digest in her brain. "It was foolish…"

"And even more, selfish," Holly corrected her. "It hurt so badly, Gail. I put myself through hell trying to figure out what I had done wrong…why I wasn't good enough for you anymore."

"You were always good enough for me!" Gail's voice rose. She wasn't angry at Holly, but at herself for ever making someone like Holly feel less than.

"I thought maybe you had found someone else…and then when there was no one else, I thought well, maybe you just preferred something else…like maybe being a detective made you more career focused…but I could tell you weren't happy with that either. And sadly, I became happy, like perhaps you would come back…like maybe there was still a chance…but you just ignored me…so finally I settled on the fact that it was just me…inadequate and …" a tear slipped from Holly's eye and it took all of Gail's willpower not to go to her. "Dammit," Holly cursed herself for being this weak. She was supposed to be defiant and happily tossing Gail aside right now; but the sheer pain of rejection was bubbling up again. "Why couldn't you have just told me?"

Gail stared at Holly for a moment, her own eyes brimming with tears now. She had caused them both such depths of pain, and it was inexcusable. And furthermore, it was borderline futile to try and formulate an answer for such ignorance.

"Did you not trust me to be there for you?" Holly asked, softly narrowing her brown eyes. This only pressed the tears more quickly down her face, to which she quickly brushed them away. She had been wracking her brain for eight days and now she just wanted, no needed answers.

"I don't know what I thought," Gail admitted finally. There was really no explanation that could wash that look of sadness from Holly's face, so no answer was good enough.

"We told each other everything…always Gail. What made you think you couldn't tell me this? We laughed together, cried together, made love to each other and planned our future together…what made you think that panic attacks would drive me away?"

"I just knew you deserved better and I wanted you happy..." Gail offered weakly. She was being properly chastised and the weight of the situation was weighing heavily on her now.

"So are you happy now?" Holly asked giving a cool, ineffective snort. "Are you happy to see me with someone else?"

And now she was there…Gabrielle was in the forefront of Gail's mind and she stood firmly between her and Holly. She was the person enjoying Holly's laugh and wit and humor. The one who woke up beside her in the morning, and made love to her at night. Gail had been replaced with a better suited model and it was her own fault.

"I want you to be happy…"

"So you left me…"

Gail took a step closer, but Holly backed away. "I'm sorry…" was all Gail could offer again. She reached out and grabbed Holly's elbow, gently pulling her closer. "I'm sorry," she said again and waited for Holly to pull away. When Holly didn't, Gail wrapped her arms around her, and for the first time in a year, the world felt right. She could feel the tears moving from Holly's cheeks to her neck, and it truly broke her heart. She drew back a bit and looked into Holly's big brown eyes. "I would do anything to take it back," she rationalized, gently wiping Holly's tears away. "I would do anything…" Gail swore again.

This time Holly closed her eyes and like all the times over the past years that they had known each other, Gail knew Holly's resolve was about to break. "Tell me what to do to make this better…" she nearly begged.

"It's too late," Holly shook her head. "It's too late."

"I'll do anything…" Gail said ignoring Holly's answer. "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"I'm with Elle, and I love her," Holly said plainly and Gail couldn't tell if it were the truth or a lie. Well, Holly wouldn't say it if it was a lie, so the words sliced through Gail's heart.

"Do you love her like you do…did me?" she asked softly.

Holly stared at her, wishing for a resounding yes or at least a justifiable denial of still loving Gail. She had neither; so instead, she closed her eyes again. "I love her…and we are together."

Gail blinked back tears, "tell me what I can do to make it right…" she ventured so far as to brush her lips against Holly's tear-stained cheek. "I love you…"

"You don't…" Holly murmured.

"I never stopped," Gail revealed; although it was obvious. "I was a coward," her lips brushed pass Holly's. The electricity was still there, if only for a second. "I love you so much," Gail said breathlessly against Holly's lips, deepening the kiss this time.

Holly allowed herself to get caught up in Gail, allowing Gail to explore her mouth tenderly, and for a while, she forgot her predicament. "I can't," she stammered after the realization of what they were doing pounced upon her. Her back was against the counter now and Gail had control of her mouth, , the tilt of her head and the soft moans escaping her throat. It felt so right…so natural being the way they had been hundreds of times before.

This was supposed to be cathartic…Holly getting her feelings off of her chest and then walking away. "Just let me," Gail almost pleaded, her hands tenderly tracing the outline of Holly's shirt. Her head was resting against Holly's now and it was the last pleas she knew she could make. "I'll do anything, baby," she said although the tears in her eyes made it hard to complete her words.

They didn't have to be here…if Gail would have just trust her enough to let her in. They had been together for years and now they were practically strangers again, Holly realized. "Do you still love me?" Holly seemed to ask after an eternity. Although her heart knew the answer, her ears needed to hear it.

"I never stopped," Gail assured her.

"We'll only end up hurting each other," Holly said to herself more than to Gail. She felt Gail's hands in her hair pulling her closer.

"We won't," Gail said solemnly; finally feeling that she could kiss Holly with some purpose. The hurt, anger, and fear would return sometime later, but for right now, all Holly could think about was how good Gail's mouth felt on hers and how she wanted nothing more than to me with her.

* * *

><p><em>What does this mean<em>? The question was burning Gail's mouth, but the fact that Holly had cleverly tucked her face into the space between Gail's head and shoulders, deterred the aching curiosity. Holly had done that so many times in the past ,when she was satiated and satisfied, that Gail dared not disturb her beautiful equilibrium now.

"I'm a jerk," Holly stated after a few minutes of silence. Gail understood what she meant, but no one was allowed to speak ill of Holly, even if she was condemning herself.

"Stop it," she cooed softly, lifting Holly's chin and kissing her soundly. "Don't dare think like that."

"I'm with her…"

"You love me," Gail countered all too quickly. It wasn't that she hated Gabrielle, she just knew that the girl was truly no competition to what she and Holly shared.

"I love her too…"

"It's not the same," Gail said frowning. She rearranged her arms so that she was no longer cradling Holly. "It's different and you know it." Gail began to feel the uncertainty creep into her mind. The longer Holly was quiet, the more obtuse the situation felt. "Holly…she's just some girl!" Gail wanted to sound anger, but her voice just sounded weak and child-like against the blanket covering them.

"She doesn't deserve to get her heart-broken," Holly said defiantly.

"But I do," Gail finished the thought for her. "I started this, so now it's coming full circle." She sat up now, feeling disgusted and weak at the same time.

"I didn't say that," Holly said sitting up and cupping her face. "I don't know what I'm saying…I just know that Elle hasn't done anything wrong." Holly said against Gail's lips. Holly felt Gail's breathing try to take on the rhythm of relaxation once again.

"I can't lose you again," Gail said meekly. She saw the fire strike in Holly's eyes and realized her mistake immediately.

"You threw me away before," Holly said with her lips now pressed against Gail's neck. Gail pulled away, knowing that she couldn't take this as Holly's go-to retort. "Stop," Holly pleaded softly. "I'm not saying this to hurt you…it's just not Elle's fault."

Gail plopped backward on her bed and covered her clear blue eyes with her forearm and elbow. She tensed when she felt Holly's fingertips on her ribcage, a gesture that still sent a tingle down her spine. "Give me time to figure this all out," she felt Holly place a kiss on her ribcage. "Please…just some time to not rip her heart out…" Gail removed her arm and sighed.

"Time it is…" she agreed slowly.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: As always enjoy and feel free to review and/or comment. And I own nothing! :)

Inevitable

"What do I owe this surprise?" Holly asked unevenly as she entered her office where Elle was sitting. She had been avoiding Elle for the past four days for obvious reasons, so this was truly a surprise.

"I brought you lunch," Elle laughed, leaning over to kiss Holly. "It feels like we haven't really seen each other since the concert and I wanted to … I don't know, check in," she said eagerly. "I've missed you," she offered seriously.

Holly smiled sadly. It literally hurt her heart to be deceitful, but she was truly torn. "I'm sorry…I've just been super busy," she made up an excuse. "How are you?"

"Awesome! They are thinking of letting me do some undercover work with Officer Blaise. She's like the best young undercover Officer and …"

"Wait…what?" Holly said wanting her girlfriend to slow down. "Undercover work?"

"Yes!" Elle's green eyes sparkled with excited.

"Gabrielle, that is so dangerous. Did you not see what happened to Chelyn the other day? She gets hurt like that all the time," Holly said rubbing her temples.

"Baby," Elle said pulling Holly closer. "Don't worry about it…I'll be super careful. A lot more careful than Chelyn, but this is a great opportunity. It means more money and perhaps a path to Detective one day. It's really a future…"

"It's dangerous Gabrielle," Holly said feeling her stomach churning. "Has Gail already signed off on this?"

"Detective Peck knows that Chelyn needs a partner sometimes and this is a great opportunity for anyone. It's really an honor that she is going to let me," Elle's eyebrows furrowed together. "I thought you would be happy, baby."

"I'm not going to be happy with the thought of you dying, Elle!" Holly shouted. "This is so stupid," and so very Gail Peck, Holly wanted to add, but resisted.

Elle watched Holly carefully. "Maybe I should go," she said standing.

"Elle…I'm just saying…"

"Nah…this is a big opportunity. You could at least happy for me," the girl said taking her jacket from the back of her seat. "Enjoy your lunch."

Holly sat at her desk fuming for a while. This, unfortunately, was so like Gail Peck. Slyly getting rid of the competition was in Gail's wheelhouse and although Holly had hoped Gail had changed some, it was obvious that she hadn't. Holly knew for a fact the hell that both Traci and Gail went through when Chelyn was undercover, and now Gail was going to force her through the same agony with Elle. "Dammit," Holly slapped her desk angrily. She picked up her keys from her desk and grabbed her coat too. She had to talk to Gail.

* * *

><p>"No…no Inspector Peck," Gail protested with a tightened jaw. "Officer Woods is not cut out for undercover work. She is…"<p>

"That's why she will be trained, Gail," Elaine said easily. "And who better to train her than…"

"The most reckless Officer on my team!" Gail said in disbelief. "Almost no one loves Officer Blaise as much as I do …but we both know, not everyone can do what she does, Inspector."

"First of all…Officer Blaise was hanging from a moving van…she needs a partner, just to keep her insanity in check. She's a great undercover cop, but …"

"Yes, it goes without saying that Chelyn is a handful. But I will take care of that. I can't sign off on Officer Woods going undercover. She's too nice…too 'green' above all."

Elaine Peck hated being told no, but she had to respect her daughter's authority, at least for now. "It's your call for now, Gail. But let me tell you…if Chelyn ends up hanging off of the back of anything else…it's both your asses," she promised solemnly. Elaine watched as Gail expelled a noisy breath. "How is Chelyn by the way?" Elaine asked as she looked down at some paperwork.

Gail opened her mouth to answer, but realized she had no idea. She hadn't checked on Chelyn since the operation and that was four days prior. Hell, she didn't even know how the girl had gotten home. She had been too…distracted. "Fine…" she answered tightly. "She's fine."

"Good…You've put together a great team, Gail." Gail headed to the door of her mother's office, surprised by the older woman's candor.

"Thanks…" Gail couldn't help but smile as she left the office and travelled down the hall. However, her smile was short-lived as she saw Holly coming her way.

"What in the hell would possess you to approve Elle going undercover?" Holly started in without preamble. "What the hell are you trying to prove?" she spat.

"What are you talking about?" Gail frowned. "I didn't approve anything…" she said becoming immediately defensive.

"Then why does Elle think she is becoming an undercover cop?" Holly disputed. "She's excited Gail…so thanks for not only getting her hopes up, but promising to partner her with Chelyn Blaise. I'm sure that won't end in disaster."

"Hey! Leave Chelyn out of this…this has nothing to do with her," Gail said through gritted teeth. "I didn't agree to anything with your precious Elle…but that's wonderful to know that's what you think of me!"

"Gail…" Holly said becoming a bit calmer seeing the hurt in Gail's eyes. "She's…"

"No!" Gail said stopping her in the tracks of her words. "Excuse me…I have work to do!" Gail said brushing past Holly.

* * *

><p>Gail had put little thought into anything besides Holly being in her presence and subsequently in her bed that night, which was why, when she approached the front door of Chelyn's cabin four days after the undercover operation had ended, she did so with a bowed head. She was embarrassed; first for what she had done, actions that only she and Holly knew about, but still carried with them the embarrassment that illicit secrets often did. Perhaps though, she was even more embarrassed by the fact that this was really the first time she was checking on Chelyn. The girl had been released the same day as the undercover operation, yet, after Holly, and then the necessary paperwork and case closing that must be done after a major operation is complete, Gail had all but forgotten about checking on Chelyn.<p>

"It's freezing in here," she commented closing the door behind her.

"A/C is on," Chelyn informed her plopping down on the couch and covering her body with a red and blue blanket. Gail frowned again, made her way over to the window unit and killed the power. "Hey…this is my house," Chelyn reminded her turning into the sofa's back. "You are just like Traci."

"Speaking of which, she said she's going to kill you when she gets home from her honeymoon," Gail quoted her friend. "She doesn't understand your incessant need to put yourself in danger."

Chelyn turned over and narrowed her dark brown eyes. "I'm a cop…I do what I have to," she shrugged. She held up her newly re-casted wrist that was now adorned in a neon green wrapping. "I think it looks cool."

"I bet you do," Gail said settling in a leather chair beside the couch. "How's your head?"

"Oh, you care now?" Chelyn cocked an eyebrow. "Where were you when I was woozy and disoriented?"

"You climbed on the back of a moving van…." Gail avoided the question even though memories of her and Holly flashed in her head. She shook her head quickly. "I got hurt too…" Chelyn shrugged, not bothering to even address it again. "I heard you got released the same night…"

"Yeah Officer Woods stayed with me while Holly took you home," Chelyn said nonchalantly. She watched Gail's reaction, but said nothing else.

"Officer Wood…" Gail opened the door to the conversation again after a moment.

"I think I should have gotten blue…for the cast," Chelyn said.

"Chelyn!" Gail said shifting in her seat.

"What?" Chelyn asked innocently. "She volunteered and it seemed Holly volunteered to take you home…" she allowed her words to hang there for a while. "Friends helping friends…"

"Since when are you and she friends?" Gail asked defensively. Chelyn sat up and rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean…" Gail rolled her neck until it cracked nosily. She hated to admit as much, but Chelyn was actually one of her closest friends and she didn't like the idea that she would have to share her with Officer Gabrielle Woods.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Chelyn assured her. She sat up and bit down on her lower lip. "She's actually really nice…doesn't have any friends here, but Holly…"

"Geez…don't give me that shit," Gail said standing. First it was Holly with the damn time and now it was Chelyn with the 'she's actually really nice,' shit. She didn't want to dislike this girl, but she was really getting under her skin.

Chelyn yawned, but her hands went to a bottle of vodka on the floor beside the couch. "You want some?" she asked simply. Gail didn't answer, but went to the kitchen and brought back two shot glasses. She watched Chelyn expertly pour shots and pick up one. "To cases closed…" the girl threw back the vodka. Gail followed suit.

"You aren't going to ask?" Gail asked as Chelyn filled their glasses again. Chelyn looked at her and smirked, knowing what she was talking about.

"It's none of my business," Chelyn reminded her friend. Gail wouldn't get any judgment from her, which was precisely the reason Gail had chosen her to hide out with for the time being.

"She's going to leave her," Gail offered softly, although she wasn't sure of this point herself. It had been four days and all she and Holly had managed to do was argue.

"Okay," Chelyn nodded. She knew that if Gail was sure of that fact, she wouldn't be here with her tonight.

Gail tossed back the warm liquor again. "You don't believe she will?"

"We should go…go out …shake off the case…shake off…" she pointed to the sad look on Gail's face, "whatever that is…"

Gail wanted to protest, but the liquor was heating her blood and she really didn't want to sit there with her friend and dissect her relationship with Holly. "Call us a cab…"

* * *

><p>"Your phone is ringing again," Chelyn said squinting. The glass in front of her was blurring again, which meant she had to stop drinking.<p>

"I know," Gail snorted. "It's Holly."

"That's not a good thing?" Chelyn slightly slurred. "I thought you …wanted to hear from her," she said softly.

"Have you ever been in love, Chelyn? I mean, really in love?" Gail said raising her voice a bit. A louder song began playing in the bar and Gail had to talk over the new distraction.

"No," Chelyn said honestly. "I love my job…I love being a cop. So anything or anyone else…"

"Seemed pointless right? That's how I felt before Holly. Everything seemed pointless. And now she just thinks I'm shit," Gail looked at Chelyn to make sure she was still listening. When Gail recognized that she was, she continued. "My mother wanted to partner you with Elle."

Chelyn cocked her brow and began laughing. "Is she trying to get that kid killed?" Chelyn asked even though Elle was four years older than her. "Gabrielle Woods is no undercover cop, but …if that's what the Inspector says."

"I shot my mom down, but Holly tore into me."

"She likes Elle a lot," it wasn't meant to be a hurtful statement, but Gail could feel her chest tighten in pain. "I'm not trying to be mean."

"I know," Gail said quickly.

"She's just not the type to break hearts, Gail. I know I said I'd never asked…but what happened between you and Holly?"

"Before or recently?" Gail said beckoning for another drink. It was embarrassing to even admit, but Chelyn's expression never changed, which surprisingly made Gail smile. "Does anything surprise you, Officer Blaise?"

"Plenty," Chelyn rubbed her temples. "But you and Holly seem a bit inevitable."

Gail drained the drink in front of her. Her phone buzzed again and Gail shook her head mournfully, "Which obviously sucks for everyone…"


	7. Chapter 7

Life Ain't Easy

Elle killed the engine of her car and blew out a frustrated sigh as she looked to her front stoop. Holly sat there, straight-backed with a mixture of mournfulness and guilt written all over her face and even from a far, Elle could tell that she really didn't want to deal with this situation. She was tired, worn out from the long day and investigation paperwork that she had been working on, and although Elle hated to admit it; she really didn't want to deal with her and Holly's problems right now. Still, she tried to disengage from the feeling of being slighted and disappointed with Holly's reaction to her news as she headed towards her stoop.

"Hey," she offered, a weak but nimble olive branch to Holly. "I didn't expect you to be here," she admitted awkwardly. She was tired and …angry …something she wouldn't readily concede to herself or Holly. Yet, seeing Holly, here at dusk, on her doorstep made that small frustration boil up again.

"Hi," Holly answered said softly. She felt nervous and sick all at the same time. She was not good at this…as a matter of fact, she rarely had to do things like this. Holly had always prided herself on being upfront and honest; but now she found herself in a miserable situation. "Gabrielle, we need to talk…"

"Gabrielle," Elle said absently. "It's never good when the whole name is being used," Elle said blatantly. Holly had rehearsed what she would say a million times, but sitting in front of Elle now, the words seemed a little impossible to say. After a while of silence, Elle being fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "What is it Holly? You definitely weren't at a loss of words earlier," Elle couldn't help, but make the dig.

"Elle…" Holly covered her eyes with hand momentarily. "Elle…"

"Whatever it is…just say it," Elle took a deep breath. "It'll hurt more to bullshit me." Elle wasn't sure that statement was true, but it sounded like the right thing to say. Still, the look on Holly's face let her know that this was catastrophic. "What is it Holly?"

"I don't want to hurt you, Elle," Holly rationalized.

"Ouch…so this is going to hurt," Elle closed her eyes. She knew, in reality, what was happening, but the least Holly could do was tell her.

Holly resolve was breaking, but she took in some air to fortify her next words. "I'm still hung up on Gail Peck…I still love Gail Peck," Holly admitted humbly.

"Wow…nope…perhaps bullshitting me would have hurt less," Elle's green eyes filled with water. "You are in love with her?" it wasn't really a question, just a miserable statement that Elle needed to hear from her own mouth. "You are in love with Detective Gail Peck…of course you are…"

"Elle…"

"No…don't…" Elle stopped Holly. "Don't try to explain how I'm a good person and how it's not my fault. I should have known better," Elle chastised herself. "Did you and her…" Elle didn't want to finish the sentence. Elle knew the answer, in all honesty, she knew when Holly volunteered to take Gail home the other night that something was wrong. "When you took her home…from the hospital…"

The guilt dripped from Holly's face. "Elle, I'm so sorry," she tried to stop her voice from trembling, but it was impossible. "I enjoy being with you so much …it's just…the feelings are still there for her."

It was a crushing statement, yet Elle had figured as much. "Well, who am I to stand in the way of feelings," Elle commented bitterly. "I bet next you'll say we can be friends one day."

"I just want to be honest with you …"

"And you couldn't do that before you decided to …whatever you two did?" Elle asked sadly.

"I didn't plan it; I never meant to hurt you," Holly stated honestly. "I really like you, but I would only be leading you on."

"Well as long as I'm not being lead on," Elle nodded moving up the stairs to her front door. "Good luck Holly…you and Detective Peck…good luck with that," Elle's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Elle…" Holly began, but the girl had already closed her front door behind her.

* * *

><p>"Do you believe in happy endings?" was the last thing Gail remembered asking Chelyn. They were both lying on the top of Chelyn's queen sized bed, the room spinning slightly more for Chelyn than it was for Gail. They had made it back from the bar thirty minutes earlier and it was Gail's intentions to sober up some more before driving home. Her phone had rang three more times at the bar before Holly had given up and quit trying to contact her. It had taken all of Gail's willpower, and about four mixed drinks, for Gail not to answer that phone. Although Holly's accusations had stepped on her feelings, she wanted nothing more than to hear Holly's voice and eventually be in her arms again.<p>

Chelyn had sat up a little too quickly and then rearranged herself on the bed. "I've never experienced a happy ending," Chelyn had replied.

"You are practically still a teenager," Gail retorted, realizing she was just lashing out because Chelyn hadn't provided the answer she wanted. Chelyn had laughed and turned onto her side and closed her eyes. Gail had done the exact same thing, only turning to the opposite side when she closed her eyes.

Gail figured she hadn't closed her eyes for more than three minutes when she felt that strangling feeling in her throat. It was quick and her heart felt like it was about to explode. She opened her eyes and strained to see the clock near Chelyn's bed. It was close to two in the morning, which meant she had been sleeping for about four hours, and although it was a strain, she managed to get up without Chelyn noticing. Gail could feel the heat rise from her sweaty skin and it was terrifying to make her way down the hallway and into the kitchen. She opened the cabinets and pulled down a glass and turned on the faucet. The water felt cold and wet sliding down her throat, but it didn't drown away the feeling of doom looming over her. Gail took quick shallow breaths, but she still couldn't manage to breathe properly.

"Please don't let Chelyn wake up," she mumbled quickly. She couldn't let Chelyn see her like this. She sat in the darkness of the kitchen until the attack finally subsided. "I can't keep going through this shit," Gail said embarrassed with herself. She made her way back down the hallway to make sure Chelyn was still asleep, which she was. She thought about waking the girl, but decided against it. Instead she picked up her cell phone and car keys and dialed Holly's number as she headed out of cabin. Holly answered on the second ring.

"Is it too late to be calling?" Gail asked gently.

"No," Holly answered and Gail could hear something strange in her voice.

"What's the matter?" Holly tried to conceal the fact that she had been awake all night crying, but Gail picked up on it immediately. "Hey, I'm coming over," Gail said since Holly wasn't answering her.

"Okay," Holly agreed.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Gail questioned, cupping Holly's face and looking into her puffy read eyes.<p>

"I told her the truth," Holly responded. "I told Elle that I was still in love with you."

Gail didn't know whether to be extremely happy or extremely guilty. "She didn't take it well?"

"She took it like a trooper…that's why I feel like shit," Holly admitted sitting back on her couch and picking up a glass of wine in front of her. "I've been a bitch, to you, definitely to her…I don't know who I am anymore, Gail."

Gail took a seat on the other end of the couch. "Holly, you aren't a bad person," Gail said tightly. "Why do you keep thinking that you are?"

"Because I led someone on …"

"No, you didn't! It's been four days and we didn't plan this. We can't help how we feel…I know that I can't help how I feel about you. I mean, even when you assume the worse of me…"

"I don't think the worse of you…"

"Then how in the hell did you jump to the worse possible conclusion about me earlier. Like I would put someone in danger all over some jealousy?" Gail asked angrily. Even though there was no doubt she loved Holly, very little hurt her more than knowing that Holly assumed that she would use her position to stick it to Elle. "How do you think that makes me feel…?"

"I'm sorry. I know…" Holly said pulling her hair out of her face. "We don't trust each other anymore, do we?"

Gail's blue eyes lit up. "I trust you…"

"Gail…" she said softly.

"It's not easy to talk about with anyone," Gail tried to explain again; and the thought of what had happen earlier washed over her. "It happened today…when I was with Chelyn."

"You had a panic attack?" Holly's eyes got big. "Are you okay," she reached out and took Gail's hand.

"I'm fine," Gail shrugged it off.

"Gail…" Holly said moving closer.

Gail swallowed slowly. She knew she couldn't hide from Holly, which was terrifying in itself. "I can handle it…without any help," she added quickly. She knew that Holly would only want her to seek treatment and she couldn't do that right now. She was a Detective, and she had a team to lead. How could her team respect her if they knew she had a panic disorder?

Holly closed her eyes and shook her head. "What are we going to do? I want to be with you, I love you, but we aren't the same people we were a year ago."

Gail realized that this was the truth. They couldn't just pick up where they left off. "Why don't we take it slow…date?" Gail suggested.

Holly looked at her skeptically. "Do you really want to date me?"

Gail thought about it a moment. "More than anything in the world…we gotta start somewhere, Hol," she said easily.

Holly considered Gail's words. "Okay," she agreed. "I would love to date you, Gail Peck," she finally smiled.

A/N: Hey everyone, thought everyone should read the chapter and then get the A/N :) First off, it was never going to be my intention to have Holly drag either Elle or Gail along; I don't think she is that type of person; I just think it's pretty hard to break-up with someone when they aren't doing anything specifically wrong. However, Holly does still love Gail and I think she respects that feeling. Still, please don't think I'm going to leave Elle hanging, something fun is in store for EVERYONE so please enjoy. And as always, I own nothing and please comment and review!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N : Enjoy everyone and as always, I own nothing! **

Undercover

Gail tried not to flinch, but her eyes were literally about to water from the foul stench in the area. "Whatcha got?" she asked the officer on the scene.

"Two girls, early to mid-twenties, appear to have been here about two or three days, dropped here…and they appear to be lovers," the officer rattled off quickly. He hated to admit that Detective Peck made him nervous.

"Why do you say that?" Gail asked holding back a gag.

"Matching tattoos on their ring fingers," he pointed. "And matching neck tattoos; _Immortal Lovers…_"

"Okay, get me your report ASAP. I'm going back to the station and try to get a head start on this mess."

"Officer, one more thing," Gail turned to look at the rookie officer. "One had a bar ticket from Club Amnesia in her pocket."

Gail threw her neck back and moaned. She nodded at the guy and pulled out her cell phone, dialed and waited.

"Traci, your little sister is driving me crazy," Gail said entering the Division building with her friend nearly twenty minutes later. Traci had just gotten back from her and Steve's honeymoon and was returning to work that day. "Have you talked to her lately?"

"No," Traci shook her head smiling. "She is most likely holed up in that cabin," Traci rolled her eyes unintentionally. "I hate that cabin…"

"Oh she knows," Gail said pulling out her cell phone again and dialing Chelyn's number.

"It is only eight in the morning, she likely hasn't turned over in bed yet," Traci reminded Gail. "Hell, she probably just got into bed at five or so."

"She lives one hell of an interesting life," Gail couldn't help but laugh. "I'll try her again later…"

"What's up?" Traci questioned once they had made it her office.

"Two bodies were found about a mile from Club Amnesia this morning. Two girls, mid-twenties, appear to be lovers."

"Geez, can they just shut that club down already," Traci shook her head. "What is that, the third couple this year?"

"Yes…" Gail shook her head. "I don't know what to do. I'm actually thinking about asking my mother for advice?"

"Really? That desperate?"

Gail closed her eyes and nodded. "It's either that or …

"Undercover? No one is going to buy you as someone goes to Club Amnesia…oh shit, no…"

"She's the best, Traci."

"Of course! Chelyn would be the best at something that could get her killed." Traci watched Gail shrug. "You know as a child, she wanted to be a stuntwoman. Her mother bought her motorcycle at age 12."

"That explains a lot..." Gail couldn't help, but laugh again. "She's still the best I have…"

Traci plopped down in her desk chair. "Tell her to be careful."

"Why don't you…when you go see her?"

"You know, my sister and I love each other, but putting us in close quarters…"

"Yeah, it's kinda like me and Steve in the same room…" Gail watched as Elle passed by Traci's office.

"Does she still want to go undercover?" Traci questioned as she watched Gail's eyes follow the woman. When Gail didn't answer, Traci moved to the next question, "How is Holly? You know, a lot happens around here in just …two weeks or so?"

"Holly is fine; she's speaking at a conference in Florida. The sunny beaches of Pensacola. She'll be back in a couple of days. I think it's good, us all being apart for a while."

"She feels guilty…"

"Of course she does…it wouldn't be Holly if she didn't."

"Not everyone is used to being a heartbreaker like you, Peck," Traci teased.

"I have to go work my case, Traci," Gail ignored her friend. "Go see your sister."

"Yeah…yeah…we'll see…" Traci laughed.

* * *

><p>"What are you wearing?"<p>

Holly made a deep sigh and then started laughing. "Are you at the office saying these things?"

"Ahhh…yes," Gail laughed also. "Thinking about what you are wearing is the bright spot of my day," she admitted. It was true, it was just before four in the evening and Gail had been swimming her way through the mess of a double homicide and even worse, her mother demanding an undercover case. Gail had agreed to Chelyn, but not to pairing her with Elle. This case was going to be entirely too dangerous and entirely too intricate for Elle's first undercover experience. "Hey before we talk about anything else…I gotta tell you something…"

"What is that?" Holly questioned.

"Elle is getting approved for her first undercover mission. It wasn't my idea…but we have a double homicide from near Club Amnesia and we are sending Chelyn in … and she needs a partner…or someone to watch her in other words…"

"Yes, we don't want Chelyn hanging from the back of another van…or anything else," Holly said absently. "Inspector Peck's idea?"

"The one and only…" Gail shifted in her seat. She realized that this was the last thing that she and Holly had argued about and she wasn't in the mood to fight with her again. "She likes Chelyn; Mom wants her protected. It's kinda funny…"

"Well, Elle wants undercover…she will be learning from one of the best right?"

"She'll be fine," Gail guaranteed Holly. "I just wanted to tell you…"

"And you did, thank you," there was a moment of silence. "I get back in two days…would you like to do dinner at my place?"

"I made reservations at Tellos," Gail smiled into the phone.

"You made reservations?" Holly said surprised with the knowledge. "You don't make reservations…especially at a place like Tellos," Tellos was an exclusive Italian restaurant in the heart of the city.

"I do for you," Gail begin before a knock on the door interrupted her words. "Babe, I have to go, someone is at my door. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Bye Gail," she could hear the smile in Holly's voice so she had said something right.

"Come in," she called to the door. Office Woods peeked her head into the doorway.

"You wanted to see me, Detective?" she asked carefully.

"Come in Officer Woods," Gail waited for the girl to close the door behind her. "An opportunity for undercover work has come up and I feel that you would be perfect for the operation. It's with Officer Blaise …the Inspector has approved an operation for the two of you…"

"With Officer Blaise?" Elle stammered.

"Yes, the one and only," Gail said looking at the girl to see if there was any sign of hesitation within her. "It will start immediately, so it is imperative that you and Office Blaise get better acquainted very soon."

"Of course, Detective," Elle looked at Gail for a moment. "Thank you for the opportunity."

"Don't thank me yet…you've never been undercover, or worked with Officer Blaise…" Before Gail could finish her sentence, there was another knock on the door. "Come in. Officer Blaise we were just talking about you…" she smiled when Chelyn entered her office.

"I am a topic of conversation most of the time," Chelyn said sarcastically. "I heard that there was a body….is that why I had to actually show up down here at the station?"

"Two bodies and not just that…."

"Another operation?" Chelyn questioned looking over at Elle and smiling. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No," Gail said. "Inspector Peck thinks it would be best if you and Elle work together on this operation."

Chelyn smiled cockily. "I can't be trusted alone?"

"No…this cannot be accomplished alone, Chelyn. The bodies were found near Club Amnesia; we think there is a connection and we need people on the inside."

"You mean a couple," Chelyn deciphered quickly. "Gail, Club Amnesia doesn't do couples…"

"Couples are being murdered though. That's why we need you and Elle together."

"So you want us to pose as a couple, to draw out a killer that is murdering couples in an underground sex club?" Chelyn tried to get this all straight in her head.

"Club Amnesia is a sex club?" Elle interjected.

"No, it is more like an underground…" Gail couldn't think of another way to explain the place. "Yeah…it's pretty much an underground sex club that you need an invitation to get into…"

"Yeah, don't worry about that, I have an in," Chelyn revealed. Both Gail and Elle raised an eyebrow to her. "Don't give me that look…"

"So…we are going to be a couple in this operation?" Elle asked for some clarity. "Is that going to be believable?"

"Should I be offended by that question?" Chelyn frowned. Gail stifled her laughter.

"No…you are gorgeous…I'm just saying is anyone going to believe that someone like you would go for someone like me…or vice versa?"

"That's actually a good question," Gail noted.

"I'm going to go ahead and take offense," Chelyn shook her head. "You both should know that bad girls are very in and I am the ultimate bad girl."

"You should probably say that when you don't have a neon cast on your arm," Gail pointed out.

"How does this work?" Elle began to question. "I mean the whole undercover thing…"

"Well, that's up to you two," Gail shrugged. "What are you thinking Chelyn?"

"We know very little about each other, so playing a couple is going to be a stretch…especially with short notice…everything is going to hinge on us being believed as a couple."

"Why don't we live together then? That way we can learn what we need to know to pull this off...you can move into my apartment," Elle offered. It wasn't a bad idea. She had a two bedroom in the city and this way she and Chelyn could rapidly get to know one another. Furthermore, although she hated to admit it, she was desperately lonely since her breakup with Holly.

"Oh no…sweetheart I don't live in the big bad city…but you can move into the cabin," Chelyn grinned as she flipped the offer.

"Like in the woods?" Elle said swallowing slowly. She was a lot of things, but a girl who loved the city was high up there. There was really no way she could actually survive in the dark, scary woods every night.

"Where else?" Chelyn said heading for the door before Elle could object.

Gail looked at Elle and shrugged. "Welcome to undercover with Officer Blaise," was all she could offer.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys! The weekend is here so since I probably can't post again until Monday, I tried to make this chapter a bit longer! As always please feel free to let me know what you think about the story and its direction. Comments and reviews are welcomed and I own nothing! Enjoy :) **

Preparation

"Just promise me that this operation will go well," Gail said looking at the planes landing through the window in front of her. She was at the airport, waiting for Holly to land from what seemed like the longest business trip ever. Gail had to admit, although she knew they needed some space from one another, that she had missed Holly like crazy! This was one of the reasons that she had made reservations at Tellos and was now wearing a non-to-subtle tight-fitted blue and grey dress. "Chelyn…are you listening." Gail could hear the girl laughing on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, I am listening," Chelyn responded. She was only halfway listening, and that much Gail could tell.

"Listen to me, Chelyn…and not whoever you are ushering out the front door," Gail knew Chelyn all too well. She "prepared" for undercover operations in a way the same manner each time. So she could be completely focused on her operation, she got all of her relationships out of the way before she went under.

"There is no one here, actually," Chelyn informed Gail. "After the last shit…I'm through," she said bitterly.

Gail only shook her head. "When is Officer Woods moving in?"

"Tomorrow," Chelyn answered. "Tonight I'm going to get everything prepared here at the cabin. Is Holly coming back tonight?"

"I'm at the airport now…I'm taking her to Tellos."

"Oh…wow, you are about to drop some major cash for food you aren't even going to like," Chelyn burst into laughter. "Love is a bitch ain't it?"

"You don't take your dates to Tellos?"

"One-night stands don't require Italian feasts," Chelyn laughed.

"You live an interesting life," Gail sighed. "Hey, Holly's plane is unboarding; keep me posted on your and Officer Woods' progress, okay?"

"Oooh…Gail and Holly…" Chelyn began chiming in.

"Goodbye Officer," Gail said hanging up before Chelyn could go any further. She placed her cell phone back in her clutch and shifted from foot to foot. It only took a few seconds before she could see Holly walking towards her, her brown eyes searching for Gail. When her eyes finally landed on her, Gail could see Holly's brown orbs light up.

"Hey," Gail smiled as Holly came closer and wrapped her arms around her. She placed a gentle kiss on her lips and pulled back. "You look amazing," she noted, "Really amazing." She took a more thorough stock of how the dress hugged Gail's curves.

"Thank you," Gail said, slightly blushing from compliment and the combination of heat that Holly always made her body produce. Yes, they had been apart way too long, even though they had just rebounded from a year of self-imposed separation. "I missed you," she blurted out. The admission scared her; Gail was not accustomed to being this honest with anyone, but something about Holly solicited as much in her. The slow smile that spread across Holly's lips gave her confirmation that the comment was not only appreciated, but felt just as much by the other woman.

"I missed you too," she said quickly and although Holly only explicitly meant for the last couple of weeks, the statement expanded further into the past year. "Thank you for picking me up."

"It wasn't a problem," Gail assured her. "Do you still want to get dinner? I have reservations for 8:30…"

"That sounds wonderful," Holly smiled looking at her phone. It was a bit after six-thirty now. "Do you think I have time to swing by the apartment, shower and change?"

"Yeah, sure," Gail said watching Holly grab her bag off of the machine and then walk towards the exit. "So tell me about your trip," she said once they were in the car and heading toward the apartment.

"It was pretty boring, and work related," Holly sighed. "How about things here…what's been going on?"

"Homicide is homicide, Holly," Gail said gravely. She loved her job, but mucking through murders and kidnappings all day didn't deserve as much focus outside of work. They were quiet all the way to Holly's apartment and when Gail pulled up in a spot, she halfway felt the need to stay in the car. This was the place it all had happened, their epic breakup and although she would never admit it; there was a simple intimidation factor that hovered over the place now. Still, Gail had made her way inside Holly's home again, and as much as she wanted to feel differently, all of their past memories flooded back to Gail.

It was nearly impossible to forget the place where she had practically lived for several years and was insanely happy. Even though it had been over a year, the feeling of great joy still burned in the back of Gail's mind, even as she just stood in the foyer.

As if she understood, Holly turned to Gail and smiled. "I won't be long," she promised, taking her bag into her bedroom and quickly began stripping off her clothes as she headed into her bathroom. Gail made her way a bit further inside the room as she heard the water of the shower turn on. She took her time, looking at some of the pictures around the room; some had changed, mainly the ones of her and Holly, and some were exactly the same as she remembered them. The soft couch where she and Holly had spent countless mornings and evenings together.

Gail sat on the couch, tentatively remembering the last time she was there. She could remember Holly's tears clearly and the feeling in her chest when Gail had gently explained that perhaps they weren't right for one another. The statement had come in the middle of an argument about something insignificant, but Gail had said these words out of a mixture of anger and panic. Holly had immediately burst into tears, having feeling the distance mounting between them in the past weeks. Gail had become distant, shut off and even more, just plain mean, so Holly figured that Gail had been plotting this assault all along.

"I'll be a few more minutes," Holly yelled into the living room. Gail opened her eyes and caught just a peek of Holly moving, unclothed, from one side of the room to the other. Her breath caught just enough in her throat… "Are you still in there?" Holly asked playfully peeking around the door, her smiled drooped a bit when she saw the look on Gail's face. "What's the matter?" she asked gently.

"Nothing," Gail shook her head, shaking those memories away.

Holly came around the door a bit further, unwittingly exposing the fact that she now had on only a pair of black lace panties and the matching black bra. "Something is the matter," she frowned, her ab muscles tightening with her displeasure. She didn't want Gail to be unhappy, especially tonight. They were supposed to happy together, but they could seem to stop running into the same walls.

Gail's eyes travelled over Holly's body. She stood almost automatically and made her way down the hallway. She stopped in front of Holly and waited a moment before pulling her into a kiss. When she pulled back, she could see the excitement, but confusion in Holly's eyes. "We said we were going to wait…" Holly murmured a bit out of breath, knowing all too well what was on Gail's mind.

"I can't wait," was all Gail could say before pulling Holly fully into the bedroom and shutting the door.

* * *

><p>By eight o'clock, on most nights, when Chelyn wasn't actively out on an operation, or reading up on her next operation, she was likely on her couch, asleep. She had fallen into this rhythm as a young child. Exercise, training, reading, mediation, dinner, shower, and sleep by eight at night. It was a hard habit to break, which was why she was sprawled out on her couch with her casted wrist above her head when her doorbell rang.<p>

It took her a few moments to realize what the annoying chiming noise was; no one ever used the doorbell because everyone who cared to visit her knew that her front door was open. The doorbell rang again and in her annoyance, Chelyn tried to rub her eyes with her covered right wrist. It resulted in a long scratch over her right eye which only annoyed Chelyn more. One more time, the bell rang and this time the girl sprang to action. "What!" she opened the door, yelling the question in her most aggressive manner. Who in the hell was up here, uninvited, at this time of night!

"Chelyn…" the woman before her stammered uncomfortable. Chelyn's eyes locked with the greens orbs on the other side of the door and she softened a bit.

"Sorry," she said humbly. She waited until some of the fear dissipated from Elle's eyes before she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Elle wanted to answer the question, but Chelyn's scantily clad body rendered her speechless. Chelyn's body was barely covered with a pair of peach boyshorts, and a white sports bra covered by a blue and orange unbuttoned pajama shirt. Elle's eyes couldn't help but focus on the two tattoos running vertically on each side of the girl's taunt ribcage. _No Regrets_, on the left side, and _No Apologizes_, on the right side. "We agreed that I would be moving in today," Elle finally caught herself.

Chelyn leaned against her door, the setting sun flashing over her taunt dark brown skin. "Tomorrow, we agreed on tomorrow," she said her voice low and still a bit sleep drowned.

"We agreed on today," Elle said shifting the pie that was in her hand to the other hand.

"Did you buy me a pie?" Chelyn asked with a bit of amusement in her voice. "You are too nice…Elle."

"I bake when I'm nervous," she explained quickly.

"Jesus, you actually baked me a pie," Chelyn shook her head. She moved aside. "Well, please, come in twenty-four hours early."

Elle accepted the invitation, and moved into the cabin. It wasn't what she expected. It was immaculately neat in the living room and from what Elle could see of the kitchen. "We may have a problem," she admitted looking around.

"And what is that?"

"I'm never going to be able to keep this place this clean," Elle admitted.

"Oh this…" Chelyn yawned, "I cleaned because you were coming tomorrow. I'm not finished with your room though. I mean everything is finished, but I haven't made up the bed and shit," Chelyn returned to her spot on the couch.

Elle smiled, "I think I can handle that myself. Thanks though. Can I put the pie in the fridge?"

"It's your fridge too now," Chelyn sighed. "Do you have bags in the car?"

"Yes," Elle said opening the fridge. It was nearly bare; only almond milk, frozen fruit and a variety of greens.

"Oh yea, I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow too," Chelyn yelled into the kitchen.

"How do you live on no food?"

"That's well stocked," Chelyn smiled. "You want me to grab your bags?"

"You're hurt, I'll grab my own bags," Elle smiled too. "You mind if we go shopping together? I don't trust your shopping skills."

Chelyn lounged on her couch. "I'm not difficult to get along with Gabrielle."

"I hate the name Gabrielle," Elle admitted softly as she took a seat in the chair beside the couch. "Don't call me Gabrielle, okay?"

Chelyn searched her eyes for a moment. "Okay…any other requests?"

"I can't think of any right now…what about for you?"

"No…I told you. I'm easy to live with," Chelyn smiled closing her eyes.

"So…I know I'm being redundant, but how does this work again?"

"Well tomorrow, we are going to a club, to meet a person to get us into another club, but that's jumping ahead."

"Okay…so what do we do now?"

"Well, we have about twenty-four hours to become believable as a couple…."

Elle looked wearily at Chelyn, "A whole twenty-four hours, huh?"

"That's practically a lifetime," Chelyn's sighed sarcastically. "The main problem is, most of the people we'll be talking to initially will already know me, know my habits and so forth; so you need to convince them that you know me too." Elle nodded her head in understanding. "Luckily, I'm not hard to know. Most of these people knew me before my mother died…"

"Your mother died?" Elle asked softly.

Chelyn sat up a bit straighter and nodded slowly. "They knew me before my mother passed away. They think I hate my father, and sister by extension, which is only halfway right because I do hate my father…but not my sister. Anyway, they trust me because they think I hate Traci, and therefore most of them never would expect me to be a cop since she is one."

"What do these people think you do?"

"Most of them think I'm a petty criminal. I've been a known associate with drug dealers, gun traffickers…all type of wild and crazy gangs…"

"Which were all undercover mission," Elle was finally beginning to understand Chelyn. "So you've cultivated these relationships for years?"

"Yes, and have gotten arrested in front of most of them. So don't be surprised when these people question your affinity for a common criminal; luckily most of them will write this all off as your 'bad girl experience,' and won't think much of it."

"Lucky me…" Elle shrugged. "Are you sure you want to be seen as someone's bad girl experience?"

"I've been seen as a lot worse," Chelyn answered quickly. "Whenever you are unsure of what to say, just say nothing; it will get us in a whole lot less trouble."

"I can do this…you know…" Elle felt it necessary to assert.

Chelyn watched her for a moment and then laughed. "I know that Elle. I trust that." Elle let out a deep breath. At least someone trusted she could do this. She watched as Chelyn stood up again and stretched, exposing what was under her shirt a bit more prominently. Elle knew she was going to have to get used to seeing Chelyn every day, pretty much all day, but she had failed to realize how truly beautiful the girl was. "You are staring again," Chelyn mentioned, breaking Elle out of her fog.

"Just at your tattoos," Elle said as if that answer was better than staring in general.

"Sorry," Chelyn said waving her bandaged wrist and fingers. "It's a lot harder to get dressed than it looks," she said fumbling with the buttons on her shirt.

"No, it's your house…you don't have to…what do your tattoos mean…"

"A lot of people made my mom feel terrible about herself after I was born; I can't live life feeling terrible about myself…so I they are symbols to help me remind myself not to make me or anyone else feel terrible," she explained gently. "Hey, do you mind if I shove off…cleaning with one hand is exhausting, Can we start in the morning?"

Elle smiled. "Sure."

Chelyn started down her hallway. "You're room is here," she pointed to an open door directly across the hall from her bedroom. "The bathroom is there," she pointed straight ahead before turning to her bedroom. "Goodnight girlfriend," she laughed teasingly.

"Goodnight Chelyn…"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on the update. Trying to do some NaNoWriMo writing so it took a minute to update this story! Next chapter will be up early next week though! Enjoy; as always, I own nothing and feel free to review and comment! I love hearing from everyone! **

Emergency Contact

Theodore could still taste the metallic flavor of the blood that pooled in his mouth hours earlier. He touched the left side of his face, the side of his face with the swollen-closed eye and the busted lip and grimaced. He turned over again and looked at the darkness on the other side of the window and tried to close his eyes again. The doctor had said that he had broken ribs, a collapse eyes socket and a missing tooth.

"You are still awake," the nurse said coming in and filling up the ice water jug on the table in front of Theodore. "How is your pain?"

Theodore's eyes fluttered open and then closed again. "Well…we are trying to get in touch with your emergency contact right now…"

* * *

><p>Traci paced back and forth in front of the closed hospital room door and tried not to curse her little sister's name. She had called Chelyn nearly two hours ago, and although she knew the girl had been asleep, she expected Chelyn to at least be prompt after she was awake. Traci looked down at her watch in a huff and patted the tip of her boots on the linoleum floor. "Dammit, Chelyn," she began to curse under her breath just as she saw her sister turn the corner to the hospital hallway.<p>

"I called you nearly two hours ago," Traci started right in. If she had to be awaken from her bed at night, Chelyn could damn sure do the same.

Chelyn ignored the bite in her older sister's tone and stifled a yawn. "You didn't even bring coffee," she mumbled in audible disbelief. "Geez! You woke me up at four and didn't even bring me coffee!" Traci rolled her eyes and shushed her sister. "Are you serious? First you woke me up, now I can't talk…"

"He's resting," Traci pointed to the room in front of them. It was Chelyn's turn to roll her eyes.

"Why exactly did you call me for Theodore Nash?" Chelyn wondered out loud. It was a breach of the only concrete rule that she and Traci shared; do not involve her in the overwhelming mess of the Nash family. Although they shared a father; Chelyn wanted to, in no way, be associated with the Nash lineage. This was how her father had treated her growing up, and now in her adulthood, she appreciated being separated from that pack of wolves.

"He is your uncle too…" Traci reminded her. Seeing that her sister was unmoved by this declaration, Traci moved on to her second angle. "Gail said that you are working the Amnesia case," she whispered. "There's a possible connection…" Now this information caused her sister's eyes to rise just enough to cause Traci to smile. "I have you attention now?"

Chelyn shook her head "no," and shrugged. "You have my curiosity," Chelyn said opening the door to her uncle's hospital room. "Theodore Nash!" she yelled loudly enough for the man to jerk to attention. "Wow, you look like shit…how did you manage to get a private room," but she already knew the answer. She turned to look at her Traci's reaction, which revealed that she was behind the feat.

"Hey…keep it down," Traci chastised, "it was hard enough getting us in here at this hour," she said to her sister.

"Theodore, what type of shit did you get yourself into now!" Chelyn questioned not lowering her tone one decibel. "You look like shit…" she reiterated with an amused smile.

Theodore looked from one niece to the other and closed the eye that wasn't already shut for him. Every part of his body pulsated pain, but the fact that Traci had called that little shit, Chelyn was causing him the most pain right now. He waved the girl off as an off-handed dismissal.

"Just as I thought…useless as ever," she said with a self-satisfied grin. "Why did you call me, Traci?"

"This happened outside of Club Amnesia last night…" Traci whispered low enough so Theodore couldn't hear her.

Now the next logical question was, _"what was Theodore doing at Amnesia,"_ but Chelyn decided to keep this question in her holster right now. "Interesting," was all Chelyn would offer her sister. "Inside the club or out front?"

"He said in the alleyway…he and some girl was …"

"Spare me the details," Chelyn held up her casted arm.

"Well, to make a long story short, he was hit in the head, subsequently beaten, wallet and jewelry taken and when he woke up…he was here. I'm one of his emergency contacts…"

"What happened to the girl?" Chelyn was far more interested in her whereabouts than her uncle's condition and loss of money and property. Traci shook her head indicating she didn't know. "How'd he get an invitation?" the same blank look travelled over Traci's face. "Theodore!" Chelyn shouted again. "How did you get an invitation to Amnesia?"

Theodore stared at Chelyn for a moment. "I do maintenance on their security systems…I was there for work…"

"At night, with a full club," Chelyn followed quickly. Traci poked her sister sharply in the ribs.

"Do you know a better time to make sure security systems are up-to-date?" Theodore spat at his niece. "I was doing my job…"

"In the alleyway with a woman? And judging by the end product, you suck at your job…"

"Listen, Chelyn…someone did this to MY FACE, MY BODY…" Theodore said becoming angrier.

"Who else do you do security systems for?" Traci questioned.

"Most of the clubs in the area," he answered Traci calmly. "I don't know what happened Traci," he said mournfully.

"Theo, it's fine. You just rest and we'll figure this out…" Chelyn looked at her sister skeptically, but kept her mouth shut. "We're gonna let you rest, okay?" Traci turned to leave, and moved to pull her sister along. When they were safely outside the room, Traci looked at her sister accusingly. "Why do you have to push everyone's buttons?"

"By asking questions?" Chelyn smirked. "What did you call me for if you didn't want my help?"

"He's your uncle…"

"You've said that," Chelyn reminded her.

"Okay, I thought this could help with your case…" which Traci knew really meant that she didn't want Chelyn undercover in a place where people were getting beaten and killed.

Chelyn understood what her sister was trying to say. "I do have an idea…" Chelyn smiled.

"I hate it when you have ideas," Traci blew out a heavy breath.

* * *

><p>Chelyn hadn't thought about the logistics of bringing coffee home for Elle, but now standing at her front door trying to get it open and hold onto two cups of coffee, made her feel as if she should have done some planning. After three minutes of gripping the doorknob with just her fingertips, Chelyn finally got the door opened. She balanced the coffee cups all the way to the table, before the sound of Elle's voice startled her into jumping. "Dammit," she said as she watched one cup of coffee fly in the air and land upside down on the kitchen table.<p>

"Oh my gosh," Elle said, "I'm so sorry, Chelyn. I didn't mean to frighten you," she offered her apologizes.

"No, you're fine," Chelyn smiled although in her mind she was already tasting her coffee. "Can you grab a dishtowel for me, please?" Elle came over and wiped down the table and picked up the coffee cup. "I bought you coffee…"

"Is mine the one literally on the table?" Elle teased.

"Nah, you can have the cup with actual coffee in it," Chelyn laughed. "I wish I could say I was less clumsy without a broken wrist, but…" Once Chelyn had gotten everything cleaned up, she looked at Elle. "How did you sleep?"

"It's amazingly quiet up here," Elle had to admit as she took the lid off of her coffee and add sugar and cream. "I mean, like very little noise and it's very dark up here…"

Chelyn could only laugh. "Yeah, it's peaceful."

"And you don't have a television in the living room," Elle mentioned. "I woke up once, and was going to watch TV…"

"Yeah, there is a small one in my room…but it is really of no use," Chelyn grimaced. "I'll buy one today…I think I have a DVD player somewhere…I've never been much on TVs."

"You don't have to buy one on my account…" Elle started.

"Nah…when we go grocery shopping we'll get a proper television. I don't know how long this operation is going to last, but you should at least be comfortable while you are here."

"That's sweet of you," Elle mumbled feeling guilty for putting Chelyn out. "Where did you go this morning? Do you usually get up before six?"

"Geez no," Chelyn shook her head. "I can go to sleep at eight at night and stay asleep until noon the next day. Traci called me, it seems her uncle got into a bit of a mess, but it could prove to help us with this operation. It seems that he does security systems for a bunch clubs in the area…"

"So our operation is changing?" Elle asked as she finished her coffee.

"Not really, but I may be able to get us into Club Amnesia a lot faster," Chelyn gave Elle her most charming grin. "But first, I think it's imperative to get groceries in here…I'm starving."

It was nearly two hours and three hundred and fifty dollars later when Chelyn and Elle made it back to the cabin. Elle had flat out refused to buy the usual stock of frozen and canned meals that made up the bulk of Chelyn's diet. However, she did allow the girl the stock up on her variety of chips and snack cakes. "I can't believe you aren't a million pounds," Elle admitted playfully as they unpacked the groceries.

"Doritos are not bad for you," Chelyn said doing more directing than actually helping. "And who buys frozen vegetables?"

"It's for when I can't cook fresh ones," Elle informed her tossing a variety of bags in Chelyn's freezer. She had picked up frozen vegetables, a variety of frozen fish and seafood, fresh meats, whole grains, canned tomatoes, milk, cheeses, flour, three different types of sugars, spices and herbs. There was likely nothing they would need for a couple of weeks. "You should have let me split the cost with you, Chelyn."

"I can afford groceries," Chelyn frowned.

"But we are sharing them and you bought a television too today," Elle reminded her.

"Where is my chocolate cereal?" Chelyn questioned ignoring the last comment from Elle. "I put like four boxes of chocolate cereal in here…" When Elle didn't respond, Chelyn's mouth flew up. "You put back my cereal!"

"When you choosing three different types of ice cream."

"I need those cereal for breakfast, and lunch, and some nights' dinner," Chelyn gasped.

"Do you like parsnips? I'm thinking about putting them in a soup for tonight…" Elle glazed over Chelyn's last comment. She broke down the last reusable bag and then headed over to the television sitting in the middle of the living room floor.

"You know what…this is going to be very believable …us as a couple, because you have already went about the task of changing me…" Chelyn babbled. "And what in the hell is a parsnip?" Elle tried not to laugh, but failed miserable. "Are you laughing at me?"

"No," Elle said biting down on her lips to keep from giggling. "Are you sure you can set this up?" she asked looking at the television box.

"Yeah," Chelyn said confidently. "I'll hook it up to the Wi-Fi and you can watch TV on the connection until someone comes up here to install a dish." She came and sat down on the other end of the couch.

"Hey…thanks, seriously," Elle said. "For making me feel welcome…for making this a lot easier than it could have been."

Chelyn leaned back against her couch cushion and nodded. "It's not a problem; we may as well be comfortable together…even if I did have to sacrifice my cereal…" she winked.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I own nothing...please enjoy and review and comment. I love hearing from everyone!**

Hurdles

"Are you sure you can take another two days off?" Holly asked running her middle finger up and down Gail's spine. She added her index and ring finger and felt Gail quiver beneath her touch. She didn't hold back the smile teasing her lips; she and Gail were still magic in the bedroom as far as it was concerned and for some reason that made her breathe a sigh of relief. It had been nearly a year, but the passion was still there…quietly, fiery, all-encompassing.

Gail bit down on her lower lip and slowly turned onto her back to look at Holly. "I haven't taken time off in over a year, Holly. I think I can take a three day weekend…" Gail saw the questioning look on Holly's face. "There wasn't really much need to vacation Holly, and I had to train my team," Gail rationalized.

"And now your team is so good they can function without you?" Holly teased kissing Gail's neck.

"They are good," Gail admitted, "and they appreciate flexibility."

"And you are plenty flexible," Holly quipped. "I feel guilty," she said after a few moments. "This all being so easy for us to get back into…"

"Would you have preferred it being difficult and awkward?" she wasn't asking to be funny, but the thought had crossed her mind too. She hadn't been with anyone of any significance since Holly, but she hadn't assumed it would be that easy to get back into a rhythm with her.

"I didn't say that," Holly shook her head. "I'm just saying…I was worried about comparing …" she admitted.

Gail sat up and allowed her eyes to fully focus to the sunlight cascading across Holly's rumpled sheets. "Comparing with who," Gail asked softly. "Holly…there is never going to be a comparison between you and anyone."

"You say that now…"

"I've always said that," Gail corrected her kissing Holly's forehead. "Shouldn't I be the one worrying about comparing to previous escapades?"

"Escapades, huh?" Holly said sitting up too and stretching. "We only dated a few months, Gail," Holly said purposely leaving Elle's name out of the conversation. "There wasn't much time for …"

"But there was time for it some?" Gail's blue eyes searched Holly's.

"You and she are not in a competition, Gail," Holly reminded her softly. "I'm here with you…"

Holly's words were broken by the buzz of Gail's phone on the nightstand. Gail ignored the sound, wanting to actually get to the bottom of her feelings a lot more than reading a text message right now.

"Holly…it was hell being without you," Gail said honestly. "I can't do that again…so we need to do whatever it takes to clear the air…to have our fresh start."

"Gail, Elle is not in the shadows waiting and she was the only other person I date while we were apart," Holly vowed. "There is no one, but you," Holly said tenderly kissing Gail's mouth. "What about you?"

"You know there is no one else…" Gail said quickly.

"I mean during the last year …."

Gail's eyes went to her lap, not wanting to admit that there had been a few dates used to occupy her mind. None had gone anywhere, but she had taken a few people to bed to stave of the sting of loneliness in her weakest hours. It wasn't easy to admit, the fact that she had used other people, or that in the end her heart had bled for only Holly's mouth and touch, but she had been overall too ashamed and suborn to admit that to herself.

"There were a couple," she admitted weakly. She watched the spark dim a bit in Holly's eyes and the unsure grimace flash across her face.

"I don't want to be jealous about that …but I am."

"Holly, it was nothing …"

"I know …but thinking about you with someone else …it kinda makes me sick."

"I am your ex's boss, Holly…" Gail reminded her. She watched Holly sink back into the bed.

"Are we going to be able to work this out, Gail? I mean, really make a go at this …or are we fooling ourselves?"

Gail lay down also and pulled Holly into her. "You know we aren't fooling ourselves. It just hurts, Holly. I was an idiot and did something to hurt us both, but we want to be together…right?"

"Yes…" Holly said softly turning to face Gail.

"Then we aren't fooling ourselves," she brushed a piece of hair from Holly's face. "I love you, we love each other." Gail heard the buzz of her phone once again.

"You should probably at least check that…" Holly smiled. Yet instead of checking her phone, Gail pressed her lips against Holly's.

"I can think of better things to do…" Gail whispered against Holly's mouth.

"We have three days…" Holly reminded her. Gail took a deep breath and reached back to grab her phone.

"It's just from Chelyn," Gail laughed. "She's just giving me an update. Do you think it would be rude to tell her not to contact me for three days?"

Holly shook her head, "Yes," she confirmed. "I'm going to make breakfast…" it was almost noon. "Or lunch for that matter." Holly slide to the edge of the bed and found her robe.

"No…don't get out of bed," Gail said reaching but missing Holly. "Hols…" Holly ignored Gail's plead and instead headed down the hallway to the kitchen. "Fine," Gail said typing a quick message to Chelyn and then tossing the phone back onto the nightstand. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower then," Gail called out. She moved to Holly's drawers and pulled out a tee shirt and pair of shorts and headed into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and waited until the water heated up a bit before opening the glass enclosure. Instantaneously, the memories of the last time she had been in that shower flooded her and Gail had to take a deep breath. "Not now…" she pleaded with herself; "not now."

* * *

><p>"I made blueberry griddle cakes…and I know you are going to say what's the difference between pancakes and griddle cakes but…" Holly said backing into the room with a tray. She sit the tray on the desk in the corner of the room and looked around. "Gail…sweetheart…" she turned to knock on the door, but stopped herself. "Gail…" she called out turning the knob of the door slowly. She could hear the water running and the entire room was steamy, so Holly couldn't make out Gail without squinting. She was sitting on the side of the tub, gripping it tightly. "Baby," Holly said kneeling in front of Gail. She was still clothed, but now her shirt clung to her from the sweat and steam.<p>

When Gail didn't answer, Holly stood and turned off the running shower. She sat down gently beside Gail. "Baby, are you okay?" she asked after a moment. The patience and understanding was apparent in her voice, but Gail didn't trust it to look at Holly. Gail could still feel tears sting the corner of her eyes, so she closed them. "A panic attack?" Holly asked already knowing the answer.

Gail took a fortifying breath and stood. She opened her eyes, but didn't look at Holly. She moved towards the pedestal sink and turned on the cold water. Splashing her face slowly, she bit back the tears and panic of Holly seeing her this way. "Can I just have a minute?" she asked meekly.

Holly wanted to protest, wanted to make Gail talk about this, but knew her attempt would be futile. She left the bathroom and closed the door gently behind her. She loved Gail so much and hated to see her struggle, but Gail refused to let her in sometimes. It had been the same way towards the end of their relationship; Gail pulling back and Holly feeling helpless, and honestly, Holly didn't know if she could do it again.

She looked up when she heard Gail open the bathroom door. Their eyes met for a moment, and Holly assumed Gail would look away and try to conceal the embarrassment from having another attack. Instead she came and sat beside Holly, playing with her fingers gently.

"Are you okay?" Holly offered tenderly.

"Yeah…worried, but okay?"

"Worried about your health?" Holly assumed out loud, rubbing Gail's shoulder.

"No," Gail's blue eyes searched Holly's brown ones.

"Gail," Holly said taking a deep breath and threading their fingers. She pulled Gail in close and kissed her forehead. "I love you. I just want you to be well." Gail's phone vibrated on the nightstand. "It scares me that this keeps happening, sweetheart. What if it happens when you are in the middle of police work...or a crime bust…?"

"I've thought about that and it hasn't happened," Gail said. She could hear her phone vibrating in the background. "I'm very careful…"

"You can't control it," Holly's brown eyes were attentive, but anxious. "We should get you some treatment…"

And there it was, the fixture or patch that Gail knew was inevitably coming. This was why she didn't want Holly to know… "I'll be fine," Gail choked. "I don't need to be fixed," she turned around and moved towards her phone, which now began the annoying ringtone that signified she was getting a call. She answered it without preamble, "Office Blaise…what?" she didn't mean to be short with Chelyn, but this was not a great time. "What do you mean," she asked… "When Chelyn? Okay, don't do anything without me…no I'm coming…give me and hour…" she could feel Holly move from beside her.

"Something important?" Holly said dryly once Gail had hung up from the call.

Gail didn't want to tell Holly that she wasn't particularly needed, but preferred to leave instead of having a conversation about her panic disorder. She only shrugged, "I'll be back in an hour or two…" she expected Holly to protest, but Holly felt like she needed some space too.

"Two hours it is…" Holly said leaning against her dresser, feeling as unsure as ever.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey all...quick warning, I did a VERY quick read-over of this chapter, so blame me for all editing mistakes :) Thanks again for all the comments and reviews. I understand everyone who is worried, because you don't get to see tradition Gail and Holly, but after being apart of a year, it takes time to get back in the groove of a relationship, please bear with me. As always, I love the comments and reviews; please enjoy :) **

Invitation Only

Gail's attempt to not cry laughing when she saw Chelyn Blaise's outfit was useless, because as soon as the girl stepped out of the car, Gail began laughing and hadn't stopped yet. This was not unusual attire for Chelyn; her style was nothing if not eclectic, but the neon blue carpi pants, and white shirt with pink and orange flowers was too much. As if the clothes weren't enough, the oversized, nonfunctional black rimmed eye-glasses and high ponytail made it impossible for Gail not to stare at the girl.

"Stop laughing at my outfit," Chelyn whispered through gritted teeth. "You aren't even supposed to be here."

"I was not letting you come here alone…it's just a bonus that you are dressed like a clown," Gail wasn't exactly sure what Chelyn had in store; she only knew that she was going to have a hard time keeping a straight face. "What exactly are you planning to do…"

"So what can I do for you?" a woman questioned not looking up from her tablet. They could tell she was in a hurry, which was a relief to Chelyn because distracted people were always easier to lie to. The woman looked up for a moment to a confused look on Chelyn's face.

"Wait, Theodore didn't call you and tell you I was coming today?" Chelyn questioned, pulling out her cell phone. "He said he was going to call because I have to do that patch today…" Chelyn said pretending to scroll through her calendar.

"What…" the woman began.

Chelyn turned to Gail. "I can't believe this…we have like six calls today, I don't have time for this…and this week is packed…"

"Wait what…what are you here to do?"

Chelyn turned back to the woman. "The security patch on your security system. Theodore said it was high priority and he MADE me come out here today and he didn't even call? I can't believe this…I mean…I can't come back this week and your system is …" Chelyn said becoming frantic.

"Wait…calm down; he probably just told Josh and he didn't email me. Now what exactly do you have to do?" the woman questioned, giving Chelyn her full attention. Chelyn began the long process of explaining something that Gail was sure was all bullshit, but sounded good. Thankfully, the woman stopped her halfway through … "Okay…okay," the brunette said shaking her head to the conversation. "Give me second to call Josh and get this confirmed, okay."

Chelyn took a deep breath as if she was annoyed, but nodded. The woman headed to back, and Gail and Chelyn were left in the middle of the room with only two or so people floating around.

"What was that about?" Gail asked through clenched teeth, but Chelyn was already headed towards a bar area.

"What time do you guys start serving drinks?" Chelyn asked the woman behind the bar.

The woman smiled, "are you even old enough to drink?" she questioned.

"Damn, I was going to ask you the same thing; what are you doing serving drinks, what are you sixteen?" Chelyn grinned.

"I'm twenty-three…and we don't open up the bar until around six. We are just prepping everything now."

"Prepping huh…well, that sucks. I could have used a drink, but I guess I'll just sit here and watch you prep. I'm Chelyn, by the way," Chelyn extended her good hand to the woman.

"I'm Meghan…" the girl smiled. "So…what are you doing here…besides trying to get a drink."

"I am here to patch the security system…"

"Well, good luck with that," Meghan pulled her blonde hair through her fingers and sighed. "The security system here kinda sucks," she whispered leaning across the bar.

"I guess people don't come here for the security," Chelyn chuckled.

"No; they definitely don't, but you look way too innocent to know about this club…" Meghan quipped.

"You look way too innocent to be working here…yet…" Chelyn countered. "You should get me an invitation and let me see for myself…"

"Really…you want to come here one night…" the blonde leaned across the bar. "And what would you do here?"

"I don't know," Chelyn said innocently, "what would I need to do?" she whispered.

Meghan laughed and stood back up straight. "Too bad I don't control invitations…there is a 7 Deadly Sins night coming up in the future…"

"And which sin are you planning to be?" Chelyn questioned before she was interrupted.

"So, Josh, per the usual, knows nothing either," the woman from earlier said steaming. "You said Theodore sent you?"

"Yes, Theodore is my uncle," Chelyn explained. "I do most of his patches for the clubs around here…"

"Oh okay. I can't let you do anything today, but …my name is Maria, and I'm the general manager here. If you could come back some other day, I would owe you one," she said handing over her card to Chelyn. "I would really appreciate it," she said in a hurried tone. Chelyn took the card and nodded.

"I don't know when I can get back, especially during the day," she turned and looked at Gail who had been hanging back, letting the girl work her angles. "And I know you guys are, you know, invitation only at night."

"How long will this patch thing take?" Maria questioned.

"No more than an hour… probably thirty minutes…"

"Well, then come one night," Maria nodded her head. "I will have an invitation waiting for you," she said as if it was no problem.

"Are you sure?" Chelyn asked innocently. "I mean, I don't want to interrupt anything at night…"

"As long as you are over twenty-one…it's not a problem," Maria said. "Now what's your name?" Chelyn could only smile as Maria added her name to the invitation list.

* * *

><p>"It's the middle of September, and that outfit is dorky as hell," Gail said looking at her friend again. She was somewhat perturbed that they could no longer go to cabin where everything was quiet and open, but since Elle lived there, that was off the table. Now, she and Chelyn were relegated to a pier down from Club Amnesia.<p>

"Why aren't you with Holly?" Chelyn cut through all the bull and asked Gail directly. She had texted and called Gail several times and all were met with a roadblock and then all of a sudden, Gail had shown up down at the club. "I got several ugly text messages that said you were going to be…"

"I have to have your back," Gail said waving her hand to dismiss the comment.

"No, Elle is supposed to have my back and you made me not bring her," Chelyn reminded Gail. "Why don't you just tell me what's wrong…"

"Who says something is wrong?"

Chelyn chuckled, "you spent a year wanting Holly in your bed; so if things were going well, you would be with Holly… in your bed…" Gail hated how easily Chelyn saw through everything.

"Why do you have to be a smart ass?" Gail questioned.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but you called my outfit dorky as hell," Chelyn quoted.

"I think I'm an inept person, Chelyn."

"When it comes to giving compliments; hell yes," Chelyn agreed full-heartedly. "But I don't think you mean that…so what do you mean?"

"We keep having the same argument over and over," Gail said almost telling Chelyn about her condition. "I just keep screwing up and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. It was so easy the first time around with Holly and me…"

"Hell; of course it was…you were learning each other and everything was an adventure and all of the great sex," Chelyn laughed. "Now you know each other and all of each other's jackass qualities…that's what happened with me and Rodger…"

"Weren't you sixteen when you and Rodger were together?"

"Yes…but I was quite the jackass when we tried to get back together when I was eighteen. Shit, not to even mention when I was with Marissa. I was a terrible jackass; doing my first undercover work, coming off of a divorce…she really got the short end of the stick."

"Would you try to work it out with her if she would take you back?" Gail questioned remembering that Chelyn had been married twice already.

"I don't know," Chelyn answered honestly. "Rodger and Marissa were special people, but I had the maturity of a just laid egg. Rodger was sweet, but I wasn't over my mom death and I just really wanted to get from under my dad's thumb, and Marissa…I did a lot of things wrong. Marissa and I used to have fun in the beginning, and then … she was in college, and I was starting my police work…we stopped having fun. It was all serious shit, and no one can stand serious shit all the time Gail."

Gail went to say something but stopped. "You may actually be right…"

"May actually be right?" Chelyn laughed. "I'm pretty much always right."

"Yeah, it's hard for you to have credibility dressed like that, kid…" Gail said pulling out her cell phone and dialing Holly.

* * *

><p>"I wasn't sure I had heard you right," Holly said pulling on her fleece, but smiling. "Are you sure you want to do this, Gail?"<p>

"Trying won't kill me…" she monitored Holly's response. "Will it…Holly, I can't be injured can I?" Holly only laughed as she laced up her skates.

"The ice is hard if you fall, but you'll be fine," Holly said standing and holding out her hand to Gail, "so try not to fall." Gail frowned, but took Holly's gloved hand and headed out to the ice.

"You did really well for your first time skating," Holly said leaning over to kiss Gail. They had been out on the ice nearly two hours, and even though Gail bit the ice a few times, she still seemed to have fun.

"I think I broke my ass," Gail said managing to lay down on one of the benches.

"It's not broken, trust me, I'm a doctor," Holly said putting on her shoes. "Do you need help, putting your shoes back on?"

"I may need to be carried to the car," Gail sighed as Holly began to pull her skates off.

"You did really well, Gail. It was fun…we should join a hockey league this winter…"

"That's not really a thing, is it?" Gail asked sitting up gingerly. "Please tell me that's not a thing, Holly."

"So what made you think, ice skating?"

"You liked it as a kid…we had never done it together, I wanted to see you smile…" Gail rattled off as she bent over to tie her shoes.

"Oh baby, you do have a bruise," Holly said when she saw Gail's shirt rise a bit. "How about I buy you a beer and a burger?"

"That sounds awesome," Gail agreed. "Can we go to my favorite spot?"

"You are not going to get a three pound burger, Gail," Holly laughed shaking her head.

"And probably like four beers," Gail added. "I'm so hungry," she smiled at Holly.

"Well come on," Holly took Gail's hand. Luckily her favorite spot was only about four blocks away and it was a beautiful day. "Do you remember the first time we went skiing together?"

"Yes…it was part of the reason I swore never to ice skate, but I do remember that. It was our first trip together," Gail said thinking about that weekend fondly. "It was the first time I said I love you…"

"I'm not sure that counted," Holly said opening the door for Gail. They found a table and sat down.

"Oh it counted."

"You said it while we were in bed," Holly reminded her. "I was so nervous that weekend, like I was going to blow it, and when you told me you loved me…"

"It made everything better," Gail finished the sentence. She waited until they had ordered to speak again. "I understand that all too well. Holly I think we messed up..." she saw Holly's reaction and clarified, "not in the way we think though. We are just going at this all wrong. We had the right idea before, but I couldn't…"

"Keep your pants on?" Holly grinned.

"Not how I was going to put it, but …yes. So I promise to 'keep my pants on,' and date you properly."

"So we are going to do some very chaste dating?" Holly couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice.

Gail gritted her teeth to the mere thought, but leaned over and kissed Holly. "Dammit…"

"What," Holly questioned with a frown.

"I would have done so many extra things if I knew it was gonna be the last time for a while," Gail smiled against Holly's lips.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: A chapter where we get to see Elle and Chelyn do a little undercover work! Everyone enjoy. As always, I own nothing.**

Recon

Elle's eyes slowly opened to the soft tapping on her bedroom door. Yes, nearly three weeks into this operation, she was truly beginning to think of this cabin bedroom as "her bedroom," which was funny, because she had just started to think of her apartment as her home. The move to Toronto hadn't been easy, she had left her friends and family, but slowly Elle was beginning to feel better about Toronto. Well, that was until Holly had broken up with her and…

The tapping commenced again, "Elle, you awake?" Elle couldn't help but smile at Chelyn's voice. She turned over and looked at her phone beside her bed. Shit, it was nearly eleven!

"Yeah…come in…" Elle said sitting up slowly. Chelyn fumbled with the door for a moment before opening it all the way. She smiled, as Elle wrapped the comforter tighter around her body.

"I brought coffee," Chelyn said offering Elle the cup of warm liquid. It still amazed Elle that after the first time they had shared a cup together, Chelyn now brought her perfect cups of coffee, one sugar and two creams. "I figured you needed your rest after last night," Chelyn said moving back to the door and leaning against the doorjamb. She always did that, Elle noted. She always stood near the door of Elle's bedroom as if her presence was an intrusion.

"How do you work at night?" Elle said taking a sip of the coffee. It was delicious and Elle didn't realize how much she needed that coffee until she had taken a sip.

"I don't do it often," Chelyn promised. She yawn and stretched, allowing her half shirt to rise a little more over her taunt stomach and ribcage. "But we did good recon last night; you were great," Chelyn smiled.

"Your friend thought I was an idiot," Elle frowned.

"My friends all think I'm an idiot…" Chelyn laughed. "I asked Detective Peck to have some files delivered over today. Something Russ said made me think of something."

Elle searched her memory quietly. Russ…Russ…Russ… he was Chelyn's friend, tall, lanky and dark-skinned, he was a pretty good looking dude. Elle wondered for a moment if he and Chelyn had ever dated. He had been the one summarizing all of the reasons why they SHOULDN'T go anywhere near Club Amnesia, and as for a matter-of-fact, a number of other clubs in Toronto. What did he say…? "Is he the one telling us not to go to Club Amnesia?"

Chelyn nodded. "I would say he's just overprotective, but he said some interesting things." Elle's hand went to her head inadvertently. "Does your head hurt…you should rest. I'll come back when the files come over, okay?"

Ell grimaced a bit. "Thanks, Chelyn."

"No problem," the girl smiled. She moved to pull the door close; "You were awesome last night…" she smile widely and for some reason it made Elle's stomach tighten a bit.

* * *

><p><em>The Night Before<em>

Elle pulled her hair back and looked at herself one more time in the tiny car mirror. Her green eyes sparkled with a bit of excitement and dread all at the same time. Chelyn only looked at her partner with slight amusement. "Are you sure I look okay?" Elle asked nervously. Although she had wanted to wear a dress, Chelyn had assured her that where they were going was no place for a dress. Therefore, Elle had decided on a pair of dark-wash blue jeans and a pink and gold v-neck shirt. She had pulled back her curly brown hair into a messy ponytail and put on a bit darker make-up than usual.

"You look great," Chelyn said easily nodding her approval. Elle smiled at Chelyn's approval.

"You look great too," Elle said and meant it. Chelyn had pulled on a pair of light grey jeans, and black tank-top with dark purple glittery writing on it. She had left her long dark black hair flowing down her back and put on minimum make-up.

"Thanks," Chelyn laughed as if people never told her that she looked good. "Okay, no matter what, don't panic…this is going to be a simple night. I just need to know what the word on the street is about these murders, and if anyone knows; these people know…"

Bar 432 was smoked filled, noisy, crowded mess of a place, but Chelyn navigated the area easily. She had gently taken Elle's hand and led her through the chaos to a back area that was slightly less crowded and noise filled. Almost immediately, it seemed like everyone's eyes in the room was on the two of them, and Elle could feel herself blush.

"Chelyn…you little bitch, where have you been! I haven't seen you in months," the guy Elle later came to know as Russ said coming over to hug Chelyn. "I thought you had gotten pinched or something!" he said jovially.

"Yeah, you bastard, you look really worried about that!" Chelyn said backing up and punching Russ good naturedly.

"Well hell, I also heard you had a terrible motorcycle accident. Two broken legs, a broken hip…" he rattled off all the things that was supposedly wrong with her after the accident.

"Bitch, I sprang my wrist…and then reinjured the bastard," Chelyn said holding up arm. "But thanks for looking out…"

"Che…I haven't seen you in nearly eight months…when did we see each other… it was like the first of the year…"

"Shut up…it wasn't that long," Chelyn said taking Elle's hand again, which calmed Elle's nerves a bit.

"Wow…who is this?" Russ said looking Elle over.

"This is my girlfriend, Elle…" Chelyn said.

"Girlfriend…girlfriend…that's where you've been for eight months…in, I mean, with your girlfriend. Neglect over a girlfriend…typical you, Chelyn."

"Oh, you mean like when you dated Patrice, with the big ti…" she stopped herself because of Elle "…no one saw you forever!" Chelyn reminded him. She turned to Elle. "He paid for them …but they were a great investment."

"She had natural breasts," Russ countered. "Hey, why don't you guys grab a seat and I'll get you some drinks. You still drink power bombs?" Russ questioned. Chelyn nodded. "And what for you?" he asked Elle.

"Do they have a Bordeaux?" Elle asked. When both Chelyn and Russ looked at her like she had grown a second head, she shifted uncomfortably.

"She's just playing, Russ. Just bring her a power bomb too," Chelyn laughed as if she knew Elle was making a joke. Russ began laughing too.

"What the hell is a Bordeaux anyways," he laughed moving pass them and back into the main area around the bar.

"Sorry…" Elle whispered once they found an empty couch to settle on. She sat beside Chelyn and crossed her legs.

"You're fine," Chelyn waved off the misstep with a smile. "We'll just get the information from Russ and head home. We're lucky he's here this early." It was nearly one in the morning.

Russ came back with three drinks. All the same dark, strong smelling liquid. He handed out the drinks and offered a quick toast, "To old friends." He and Chelyn clinked highball glasses and drained the liquor with no problem, but one sip made Elle almost gag.

"Jesus," she murmured softly just holding her glass for a moment.

"So, how did you two meet?" Russ directly the question to Elle.

"Grocery store," Elle answered quickly. It was one of the things that she and Chelyn had discussed and she had a stock answer ready.

"You grocery shop," Russ laughed at Chelyn.

"No, I go in and buy candy bars and cereal…" Chelyn countered.

"Well…I think you can do better," Russ teased Elle referring to her and Chelyn's relationship.

"No…Chelyn is wonderful," Elle made the move to link her arm within Chelyn's and then threading their fingers.

"Wow…I see you still got it," Russ shook his head. "I wish I had the type of pull you did… I wouldn't be thirty and single."

"I don't have any pull," Chelyn side glanced at Elle. "What have you been up to, Russ?"

"Promoting, gambling, bullshitting … messing up marriages," Russ said looking towards the bar.

"Well, we have that in common," Chelyn said about the marriage parts. She had told Elle about her two marriages, but nothing really in depth.

"Speaking of which, Marissa's sister is in here somewhere, so watch out…" Russ warned.

"Jesus, how bad is my luck! I show my face one time and it has to be the night Bria is here!" Elle closed her eyes in frustration. She would do anything not to come face to face with Cambria Megginson, because that woman HATED her. "You still messing around with her?" Russ gave her a coy smile. "Shit…did you come with her tonight?"

But before Russ could answer, Chelyn could feel the uncomfortable and evil presence of her ex-sister-in-law standing over her. "And here I was thinking you had died in a motorcycle accident," Cambria's voice was low and sultry. Elle was surprised at the look of the woman. She was light-skinned with dark soulfully brown eyes and curly light brown streaked hair. The woman was obviously beautiful, with a soft curvy frame and a cocky smile. "I was going to send flowers to your motorcycle manufacturer," she jabbed. Russ stood and kissed Cambria quickly. _Be nice_, he warned softly.

"Hi Bria," Chelyn feigned excitement. "I've missed you…" she jabbed.

"You haven't missed my sister obviously," Bria rolled her eyes at the fact that Elle and Chelyn were holding hands. Chelyn choked back her comment, realizing that Cambria didn't know the half of the ins and outs of her and Marissa's relationship. "She's doing well," Bria said brazenly. "A hell of a lot better without you."

Elle gauged Chelyn's reaction and thought for a moment that she saw pain flicker across Chelyn's face. Elle was about to say something, but Russ beat her to it.

"So what are you two up tonight…" he changed the subject quickly.

"Just checking out some clubs and bars…probably gonna head to Club Amnesia tomorrow night…"

"Of course you would have access to a place like that…" Bria said crossing her legs and rolling her eyes. "I think you should go…become the next victim," Bria said bitterly.

"Bria," Russ warned sternly. "You probably don't wanna go there until some stuff cools down," Russ said a bit more evenly.

"What do you mean?" Chelyn asked gently taking the once sipped drink away from Elle. She gave it up easily and Chelyn drowned the liquor.

"You didn't hear about the deaths popping up around there?" Cambria interjected. "You must really be busy," Cambria said looking Elle over again. "I would suggest you go down there and see for yourself, but…I wouldn't want you leading anyone else astray…"

"How sweet of you," Chelyn said standing. "I'm going to get us another drink," she turned to Elle.

"I'll go with you," Russ offered, leading the girl through the crowd and to the bar. "Listen…it's not just Club Amnesia. How about you and your girlfriend, just stay in for a while?"

"Come on…you know I'm going to need more than that to listen to you, Russ."

"From what I understand, two girls ended up dead near there; but it's not just Amnesia. It's everything that that prick Josh North is running…like four clubs he promotes…just take your girlfriend to dinner and a movie or something…stay out the clubs for a while."

"Josh North huh…that name sounds familiar…."

"You may have heard about him, but I doubt you know him. He's an asshole, likes to beat on people…he and I have had a couple of run-ins."

"He beat your ass?" Chelyn joked.

Russ didn't see the humor in either the statement or the fact that Chelyn was ignoring him. "I'm being serious Che…stay away from those clubs."

"Okay, buddy…I will," Chelyn said. She moved to the bar and ordered drinks. "The waitress is going to bring them over. So how did you get entangled with Cambria again?" she asked before they went back into the other room.

"Don't do that," Russ shook his head. Cambria and Chelyn had been at each other's throat since before Chelyn had divorced Marissa.

"Well, you know… I was never good enough to be your friend, and god knows I was never good enough to be her sister-in-law…"

"She's a different person…"

"Oh, since the last time she raked you over the coals? Well, Russ, you are older than me and I assume you assume that means smarter, so go at it." She could feel her friend roll his eyes at her comment. She didn't let it bother her as much as when she saw Bria engaging Elle in a conversation. Chelyn took a deep breath, but slid back beside her "girlfriend."

"Hey," Elle smiled devilishly. "I was just getting to know the 'old' you," she laughed at the small injection of fear she saw play against Chelyn's beautiful features. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

"Yes, calm down, Chelyn," Bria smiled at the fact she could still make the girl squirm. "I was just getting to know Elle."

No doubt so she could report back to her sister, Chelyn figured. She was happy when the waitress brought drinks to the table. "This is a lot less strong," Chelyn whispered to Elle. She watched Elle try the drink, but she could tell that Elle didn't like this one either. "I guess next time I'll take you somewhere nicer," Chelyn teased and Elle giggled. Both failed to recognize the sour look from Bria that their intimidate interaction elicited.

* * *

><p>Elle rubbed her eyes and tightened her robe as she headed towards the living room. Although Chelyn would never admit it, she was a clean freak, and Elle could smell the mixture of solutions she had used to clean earlier in the morning. Now, Chelyn was sitting over near her favorite window in her favorite chair, looking outside. "What are you doing?" Elle questioned, her voice still heavy with sleep. "How do you sit in total quietness?" She sat on the arm of the chair and looked out into the woods at whatever had Chelyn's attention.<p>

"God, you are such a city-girl," Chelyn poked her. "Did you get enough sleep?" she asked looking up at Elle.

"Yeah," Elle answered absently. She was easily distracted when Chelyn looked at her like that and it made her fidget with brown curls. "Thanks for letting me sleep in…"

"You earned it," Chelyn teased. "I called Richard and Patrick," Chelyn said referring to two other cops on their team. "I'm getting them to do some research on a Josh North. I also ask that they send some files from the previous cases over; would you mind going over them with me?"

"No problem…of course."

"Detective Peck also wants us to look over a couple of other cases too."

"Yes," Elle said standing. "Officer Peck…" she said absently. "I'm going to make another cup of coffee…do you want one?"

Chelyn returned her attention outside. "No, I'm fine." She knew that it took a lot for Elle to be completely professional when Gail was involved, because the girl was likely still hurting from the Holly break-up. This was likely why she agreed to be holed up in a cabin, working undercover murder cases with her. "May I ask you a question?" Chelyn began once Elle seated herself on the couch near Chelyn. Elle took a sip of her coffee and nodded. "Did you wanna take undercover work because of your break-up?"

"No, I wanted to be undercover before that," Elle said simply. "Now can I ask you a question?" Chelyn grinned and nodded. "Did you start working undercover because of your divorce to Cambria's sister?"

"No…I was already into my undercover work when I met her. My first marriage was to this guy named Rodger. I was sixteen, he was turning nineteen and I wanted desperately out of my father's house. We were madly in love and madly immature. Our marriage lasted a little over a year before we called it quits and he moved to the States. So I came back up here and lived by myself for a while. When I was eighteen Traci talked Gail into mentoring me until I became a rookie. Anyways, I got this undercover case because I looked the youngest and it was about high school drugs…so I get sent in and I meet this newly minted counselor who was my liaison."

"And that was your ex-wife?"

"Yeah, Marissa was different and we had fun and passion," Chelyn closed her eyes and shook her head. "But I did well at my first operation, which pushed my second, and the third…and one day I came here and all her stuff was gone…I got a call from her lawyer …"

"I'm sorry," Elle sighed. "I shouldn't have asked. You know I'm terrible with relationships too…" she broke the mood with a laugh.

"Aww, you're still young," Chelyn said as if she weren't younger than Elle. "There's still time to find true love, "she promised sarcastically with a smile.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: ****As always, I own nothing and feel free to comment and review :) Enjoy! **

Cold Showers

Mediation was definitely not working; probably because it was nearly impossible for her to actually quiet her brain. Everything ran through Gail's mind when it was quiet; especially when it was already quiet in her apartment and she had just finished with nearly an hour of yoga. She thought they were supposed to go hand-in-hand…the mediation and the yoga, but for some reason they were working against each other with Gail. She could do her yoga, sweat it out, center herself and feel the burn; but when it was time to sit in silence and not move, it all fell apart.

Gail moved her neck from side to side and heard it crack loudly. There went her concentration again. She blew out a ragged breath and stood up from her apartment floor. It was only six in the morning and she could be showering and getting for work instead of sitting in the middle of the floor and trying to "focus." She was headed into her bedroom when she heard a knock on the door.

"Who in the hell…" Gail said moving towards the door. Looking through the peephole, Gail smiled. "Holly," she said opening the door slowly. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"I brought breakfast," Holly said holding up a bag and a coffee caddy. "Do you have an hour?"

"Absolutely…for breakfast," Gail grinned. "Come in."

"So is this Yoga Gail?" Holly asked looking Gail over. She couldn't help but enjoy Gail in her yoga pants and sports bra.

"Kinda," Gail smirked. "It's supposed to be relaxing and help me focus…it works sometimes…"

"Well, you look great trying it," Holly smiled. "I brought bagels, muffins, and coffee. Kinda a payback for lunch yesterday…and because I thought about you all night." Holly didn't have any problem admitting that she thought about Gail all last night. She assumed that the "chaste dating" was going to be difficult, but when Gail brought her lunch yesterday and they ended up talking into the wee hours of the night on the phone, it felt nearly impossible to get Gail off of her mind. It felt like they were dating again, but with that came the overwhelming desire to want to be in Gail's presence all the time again.

Gail pulled a bagel out of the bag and groaned. Not at the bagel, but at what Holly had just said. "You can't say things like that if you want me to behave," she warned. "So, do you want to get dinner tonight?"

"Yes, and no," Holly laughed. "That's one of the reasons I'm here this morning… I have a very long, boring dinner to go to tonight…where I have to be engaging and there for a long time and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me."

"What type of dinner?" Gail asked taking a bite of her bagel.

"If I tell you…you won't come," Holly frowned.

"Oh no…this screams boring medical lecture," Gail sighed.

"You said last night if there was anything you could do to make me happy…" Holly reminded her.

"You know what context I meant that in," Gail smirked devilishly.

"Be nice and be my plus-one," Holly begged, putting her hands together and pouting. "It's like a premium free dinner…"

"With a medical lecture attached," Gail broke in. Holly came closer to Gail and leaned in to kiss her neck. "That's not playing fair," Gail whispered.

"When you come tonight…" Holly began, but the double-entendre was not loss on Gail, "it'll be so worth it."

"Holly Stewart…that is not fair," Gail said trying to calm her quickening pulse. "I just did yoga, and you are killing my calm."

"Please…be my plus one," Holly said again.

"What time?" Gail asked as she wrapped an arm around Holly's body.

"Can you be there by seven?" Holly squealed excitedly.

"Yes…seven o'clock…" Gail kissed Holly quickly. "Now I have to take a cold shower…thanks for that."

"I didn't do it on purpose," Holly half-lied.

Gail leaned over to give Holly a deeper kiss. "You definitely did it on purpose…"

* * *

><p>Before Holly had stopped by that morning, Gail had exactly two major things on her calendar for that day. First, she had to meet with Chelyn; one because Chelyn's cast was coming off today and two, because the Josh North lead had become quite interesting. Secondly, Gail had done something she had promised herself she would never do again, which was make an appointment with a therapist.<p>

This is where she was now, sitting uncomfortably on a couch, staring at a middle-aged woman with large black-rimmed glasses, which reminded her of Chelyn's fake glasses. Gail couldn't help but laugh. "Is something funny?" the therapist asked. This was the first sound she had gotten out of Gail since she had sat down five minutes earlier.

"Just…no…" Gail shook her head. She went back to her stubborn silence.

"Gail…you made this appointment; there must be something on your mind," the therapist began. She knew Gail well, they had done a few session together when Gail was a rookie, and then again after a number of traumatic events had happened in the Division.

"I have been having some anxiety issues…" Gail revealed slowly.

The therapist scribbled something down. "How do you mean?" she asked Gail.

"I think they are panic attacks…" Gail hated to even say the words.

"Describe them." Once Gail did, the therapist scribbled something again. "So, how long have you been having these?"

"A year maybe…but they aren't bad," Gail said quickly. She watched her therapist, who was pretty much considering that answer bullshit. "Okay, they are getting bad…I have them in my sleep sometimes…and the fear of them ruined a relationship for me," Gail said bitterly. "I don't have any control over it…"

"And control is important to you?"

"I'm a detective, doctor. I have very little control over a lot, I should at least have control over myself. It's embarrassing."

"So it's embarrassing because everyone knows?"

"No," Gail shifted uncomfortable with just the thought. "No one knows…well one person knows…Holly knows."

"And she has made you feel ashamed," the doctor surmised.

"Hell no, she's been very supportive and patient," Gail admitted. "I'm just a detective, I have a team to lead…my mother is Inspector Peck for goodness sake! I can't be weak."

"So your anxiety makes you a weaker person?"

"I'm not saying that…I'm just saying that it's frustrating and I don't know what to do about it!" Gail said running her hand through her blonde hair.

"What would you like to do about it?" the therapist asked finally.

"I'm tired of being scared to death about this!"

"Have you ever thought about telling some of the people closest to you?" It was a simple question, but the look that Gail gave the therapist, showed that it was outrageous.

"Why would I do that?" Gail said in frustration. She knew that this was a mistake. Damn therapist!

"Gail, you have to trust people. Why don't you start by telling the people closest to you; if they react badly, then your fears were real…if not…then you'll know you have real support structures."

Gail let out a disgusted sigh. "Thanks, doc," she said standing. "I have to go…I promised my friend I'd meet her somewhere…"

"Gail…at least try," the therapist urged. Gail stopped at the door. "It can't hurt to try."

Gail headed out of the office and down the three floors to the outpatient location that would be removing Chelyn's cast. She had to wait a few minutes, but eventually Chelyn entered the building with a motorcycle helmet on.

"You better be kidding me," Gail warned. "You did not ride your motorcycle down here…"

Chelyn was caught red-handed. "How dare you show up on time," was her only counter to Gail's accusation. Gail rolled her eyes. "It was my only means of transportation."

"You have a car Chelyn," Gail said firmly. "You have to stop being a daredevil."

"I'm not a daredevil…I just enjoy my motorcycle," Chelyn said after she checked in with the nurse. "Can we talk about the case? Did you find out anything about the Josh North?"

Gail looked around before responding. "Yeah, he has a rap sheet taller than you. Everything from petty thief to assault and battery; yet, nothing lately though. He's been squeaky clean."

Chelyn thought about it a moment. "So all bad activity just stopped?"

"Right around the time he got a steady job as a party promoter and manager."

"How does a low-life criminal like him get a job as a club manager and promoter?"

"Don't know…" Gail admitted, not really thinking about it before.

"Chelyn Blaise," a nurse called out.

"Can you wait until I get back?" Chelyn asked.

"I have to get to the station…I'm leaving early tonight…I got a date."

"It won't take more than a few minutes, I promise," Chelyn said following the nurse.

"How many cast have you had cut off?" Gail called after her. Still, she gave Chelyn the ten minutes it took to get her cast cut off. "So what are you thinking?" Gail asked once they were outside. Chelyn was examining her wrist as if it were new and bionic and paying very little attention to Gail's questions. "Che!"

"Sorry…it just feels all new and strong," she smiled at her arm. "Elle and I can go to Club Amnesia."

"Your friend told you to stay away from there…"

"Russ is overprotective. Let me do my job."

Gail contemplated the outcome for a moment. "Get me some more information on Josh first."

"How…without going to the club?" Chelyn whined.

"You're a smart girl," Gail said opening her car door. "You'll figure it out. In the meanwhile, I'll set up a safety net …for IF you have to go to Club Amnesia." She could see that Chelyn was about to protest. "Listen; this is the way it's going to be…" she said cutting the girl off. "Find me something, Chelyn and let me set this up." She started her car and sped off. She had to be done with work by five and she was already an hour behind.

* * *

><p><strong>Hols:<strong> What are you wearing?

The time stamp on Gail's phone said that the message had come in at 12:32, right around the time Gail was arguing with her mother for enough latitude to set up an operation at Club Amnesia for one night and to bring the evidence forth for a warrant on another case. By the time she sat back down at her desk, it was well after 1:30.

**Gail:** Right now? Standard detective gear, but I could change J

**Hols:** I meant tonight …lol

**Gail**: U r no fun, nerd L what do u want me to wear? I'm partial to something with snaps on u, just fyi

**Hols: **Did I make a mistake by asking you to come? Lol

**Gail:** Most likely but we'll c. What do u want me to wear seriously?

**Hols:** Anything. I'm just excited that u are coming. I'm wearing something upscale causal.

**Gail:** I'll b upscale causal too then…I'll surprise u.

**Hols:** By what's underneath lol r u gonna wear snaps?

Gail bit down on her lower lip and tried not to smile like an idiot at her desk.

**Gail:** That can be arranged, don't tempt me…do u still have that nightie…the black and pink one with the snaps down the back?

**Hols:** …

**Gail:** play nice!

**Hols:** I'll see u tonight, baby. Thanks in advance J

The combination of the word 'baby,' and thinking about Holly in that black and pink nightie drove Gail for the rest of the day. There was no way she was leaving a second after five, because she was going to be on time.

It was actually five fifteen when she left, but she made it home in enough time to shower and get dressed without hurry. She couldn't justify her thinking when she picked out the matching dark blue lace bra and panties, she just knew how much Holly loved her skin tone in those colors. It wasn't like Holly was going to be seeing her underwear, Gail kept reminding herself. Still, she felt just a bit sexier knowing that underneath the gold wrap dress that clung to her body, was what Holly loved to see her in. She pulled her hair into a tight bun and applied her make-up, and surprising, she was still on time.

It was thirty minute later, when she walked into the expansive dinner hall that Gail thought that this may be a bad idea. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with Holly, but the make-up of the room was…nerdy. How in the hell was she going to make it through a dinner with a bunch of scientists? And then her answer came, walking towards her with a bright smile and enthusiastic look twinkling in her brown eyes.

Oh, Holly was not playing fair, Gail decided as her eyes travelled down her body. Holly was dressed in a long black pencil skirt and the look of her legs in that skirt with those high heels weren't going to be kind to Gail's libido. "You are early," Holly said with a satisfied smile. She leaned in and placed a quick peck on Gail's mouth.

"Yeah, I figured you'd be and if you were left alone, you'd do something instinctually nerdy until this thing began…" Gail said still looking at Holly's physique. "You look amazing."

"So do you," Holly blushed at Gail's compliment. "I'm speaking like first or second…and then there is a dinner…"

"What's for dinner?" Gail teased.

"So dinner is more important than my speaking?" Holly pouted as if her feelings were hurt.

"Okay, what are you speaking about?"

"The consequences of flawed autopsies."

"Are they serving like prime rib and shrimp or …" Gail laughed. They actually did serve shrimp and steak and a number of other delicious foods that Gail had no interest in actually eating after Holly's presentation was followed by a forensic entomologist who did a "wonderful"/disgusting presentation on the link between crustaceans and drowning victims. The gist ended with Gail never wanting to see another shrimp in her life.

"Well you've ruined shrimp for me," Gail smiled. It was nearly two hours later and she and Holly had snuck away to the wraparound balcony in the back of the building. Of course, Holly had somehow managed to sneak away with a bottle of champagne, which Gail appreciated more than anything right now.

"I'm thinking I should have taken bourbon," Holly smiled as she shifted to lean against the railing.

Gail took the bottle and took a sip. "Alcohol is alcohol after what I've learned," Gail promised her. "My job is so much daintier compared to yours," she smiled widely at Holly.

"Is that so?" Holly said leaning over and kissing Gail softly. "Thank you for coming tonight. I was nervous."

"You don't get nervous, Stewart. You just wanted to ruin shrimp for me…"

"Yes, that was the plan all along," Holly nodded. "No, seriously," Holly pinched Gail gently. "I was nervous. I'm so happy you came tonight."

Gail took another drink of the champagne and blinked. "So…I went to my therapist today…" Gail said out of the blue. Holly's eye lit up, but she waited for Gail to finish. "I can't keep being afraid of my anxiety, Holly."

"I thought you said never again," Holly said gently. When Gail didn't respond, Holly took her hand. "Was it difficult?"

"It was not fun," Gail said looking down.

Holly kissed her cheek, "I'm proud of you."

"Well…maybe I should get more than one session under my belt before we get proud," Gail shrugged it off, although hearing Holly say that made her heart beat a little faster.

"What are you doing for the rest of the night?" Holly questioned, ignoring Gail's modesty. When Gail hesitated, Holly laughed. "All of the speakers go hotel rooms for the night; I guess they thought we were all going to be party animals and would have to stay local…"

"Really…even though you guys use phrases like 'party animal,'" Gail chuckled.

"See…" Holly said, "I was going to invite you to my room…"

Gail thought about it for a minute. "That doesn't sound very innocent, Dr. Stewart," Gail arched a brow. She pulled Holly in for a kiss, opening her mouth slightly over the doctor's and sighing when Holly finally pulled away. It didn't take long for Gail to recapture Holly's lips, yet this time she was the one that pulled away.

"What?" Holly whispered. As if she could read Gail's mind through her blue eyes, Holly smiled. "Gail, we won't go too far," she said knowingly. Still, Gail pulled back. Holly cupped her face gently. "I just want to hold you tonight," Holly said softly.

"Okay," Gail agreed eagerly to her own torture.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N : This chapter is broken down into two parts because it was becoming extra long. The other part should be up by tomorrow at the latest :) As always I love everyone's reviews and comments, keep 'em coming!

Latitude (1)

Chelyn was deceivingly long…well her body was deceivingly long and slender and as she stretched her body out between the chair and coffee table, Elle wondered absently what it was like to be Chelyn or even more, what it was like to be with Chelyn in reality. She seemed so at peace with herself and overall easy-going, nothing like Elle assumed she would be at first. She assumed someone more like…well Gail. Intense, cocky, sometimes rude…well most of the time rude from what Elle knew of Gail. But there again, Elle knew she was overwhelmingly biased when it came to Gail Peck.

"Do you want breakfast?" Chelyn asked. She could feel Elle lingering behind her, the way Elle sometimes did for no reasons at all, and Chelyn felt like she should ask. It was one of the only meals she had a firm grasp on; breakfast, eggs, bacon, toast, juice…she could handle that; but anything more complex became sandwiches and sometimes canned soup. Elle handled lunch and dinner, oh did she ever handle dinner, every night, which was something foreign to Chelyn as a whole. See, her mother never made dinner, and Chelyn, herself, had lost all passion to learn anything more than cereal, or sandwiches, so home-cooked meals were like an elaborate treat for her.

"You make breakfast like every morning," Elle reminded her pouring herself a cup of coffee. "What time did you wake up this morning?" Chelyn only smiled, allowing the sunlight to bounce off of her smooth skin tone. It was only six-forty now, and Elle figured that she had probably been awake for hours. "You should have awaken me," Elle frowned. Not because she particularly wanted to wake up before six in the morning, but because…because she really enjoyed being with Chelyn. She shook the thought off, watching as Chelyn stood and made her way over the coffee maker. She poured herself another cup and took a sip of the dark liquid.

"You have to let me do what I'm good at…it's the only meal I'm good at," Chelyn reminded Elle. "And you didn't want to wake up when I woke up," Chelyn challenged.

"Could you not sleep?" Elle asked. She realized she may be overstepping her boundaries, but she had noticed that most nights, Chelyn had a hard time sleeping. She would fall asleep around eight and be back up by no later than midnight. This is when she would pore over case files or read. Elle had found that Chelyn did a lot of reading.

Chelyn avoided the question expertly. Instead of answering, she leaned against her counter and watched Elle quietly. "I think I have a lead on some information about Josh North," she said after a moment. "Are you down for meeting some old friends of mine later on?"

"Of course," Elle smiled although she felt a bit slighted by Chelyn not answering her question. "How do you know them?" she was allowed to ask this question, it was pertinent to the role they would be playing.

"Support group I used to attend when my mother passed away…" another roadblock, Elle knew. She would say that her mother had passed away, but that was the depth of the knowledge she would share about that. So far, Elle knew that Chelyn was about fourteen when her mother passed away and Chelyn had ended up living with her father and stepmother/ Traci's mom, until she was about sixteen and got married to Rodger.

"How will they be helpful with Josh North?" Elle questioned, not even trying to delve into the mine-field that she really wanted to know about.

"After a little bit of prying, Russ told me why he and Josh had a run in…and it was over a woman of course…a woman I happen to know. So I've decided to go straight to the source…but I have to warn you, the source is a little unfiltered."

Elle frowned, "Don't treat me like I'm some fragile doll," she said sighing. She hated that Chelyn treated her as if she should be in a glass case instead of seeing her as an equal.

"Stop," Chelyn reached out and touched her. "Don't pout," she smiled playfully. "It's not a bad thing that I don't want people to be disrespectful in front of you; it doesn't mean I think you are less than…if you were my real girlfriend I'd expected a certain level of respect in front of you," she assured Elle. She turned and reached for her cup of coffee, missing the obvious blush that the thought of being her "real" girlfriend had brought Elle's tan skin.

"So what time are we going?" Elle asked changing the subject. She opened the fridge and rifled through for nothing in particular.

"Let's see it's seven in the morning now…so probably in twelve hours…because my friend does not get up before three in the afternoon," Chelyn smiled cheerfully.

"And what until then?" Elle questioned closing the fridge after removing some milk for her cereal. She picked out her favorite bowl from the dishwasher and poured herself a bowl of organic wheat cereal. She could see Chelyn grimace.

"How do you eat that?" Chelyn questioned making a face like she had seen a skunk instead of a bowl of cereal. She shook off her disgust for the organic wheat cereal and leaned her body across the counter.

"We kinda need to split up," Chelyn sighed.

"Why?" Elle asked after she swallowed some cereal.

"You have to go to the morgue…" Chelyn said heading back to the living room to avoid the aggravated sigh she knew was bound to come from Elle. She was right, and could hear the sigh all the way in the living room.

"Chelyn…" she began.

"You know I can't go," Chelyn said plopping down on the couch. She flipped on the television with no real intent of watching. It was a nice distraction…a very expensive distraction.

"We can go together," Elle challenged.

"Babe," Chelyn had become accustomed to saying whenever she wanted her way, "I would go to the morgue if I could. I just physically can't!" she held back a gag. "I can't even think about it…" she shook her head in discomfort.

"How are you going to be a detective without being able to go to the morgue," Elle contested. She saw that her questioned had wounded Chelyn and immediately regretted it. "You know what I mean," she sighed loudly again. "Let's at least go together…"

Chelyn shook her head, "Can't do it, Babe," she said adamantly.

Elle felt her nose flare. "At least tell me why you can't go…" Elle bargained. There was no place in the world she wanted to go less than the morgue right now. The chances she would run into Holly were at least eighty percent and although she knew she was just on an operation, the detachment from Holly was great for her.

Chelyn placed her long legs on her coffee table once again, her reluctance to share apparent. It was the least she could do, actually share why she was so adamant about avoiding the morgue. She narrowed her eyes to watch Elle, who was waiting patiently for an answer. Chelyn stood up, nervous and uncomfortable about even thinking about how much she hated the morgue.

"Is it tied to your mother?" Elle's voice wavered as she asked. She knew almost immediately that the answer was yes, and that she was going to end up at the morgue that day, but she wanted Chelyn to at least be honest with her.

"Yeah," Chelyn's voice was being drowned out by the television.

"Am I going to the morgue to explore the causes of death for all the victims?" Elle asked not wanting to torture Chelyn any longer. Chelyn nodded slowly. Elle finished her bowl of cereal and placed the bowl in the sink. "You're going to owe me so big," she said allowing a huge grin to spread across her face.

* * *

><p>Gail had woke with the most incredible ache in her body and although the old Gail would have wanted to immediately relieve that ache, the fact that she woke up beside Holly was more than enough for her. They hadn't went too far the night before, and Gail had appreciated that fact. Her body wasn't exactly cooperating, but when Holly kissed her neck to wake her up, she realized some things were more important than consummation.<p>

"What are you thinking about?" Holly asked rolling away from Gail. She wasn't accustomed to the quiet Gail, or the one that looked into the ceiling instead of increasing the level of intensity between the two of them.

"How terrible a cold shower is going to feel this morning," Gail admitted smiling. "But last night was so worth it," she closed her eyes to the intruding sunlight. She needed to be at the station no later than nine and it was already seven thirty.

"Take a warm shower then," Holly laughed. "Do you want breakfast?" she asked leaning over and picking up the room service menu from her nightstand. Her body wasn't feeling much better than Gail's; the late night kissing and touch of Gail Peck was enough to drive any woman insane, but they had stayed within their boundaries and that's all that mattered.

"Do you think we are being stupid?" Gail asked softly, kissing Holly's exposed shoulder. She had on a silk camisole that wasn't doing Gail's mind or body any favors when it came to not wanting her.

"How do you mean?" the question seemed to confuse but at the same time amuse Holly.

"The no sex thing…" Gail sat up fully and frowned at the fact that she had actually fallen asleep in her bra and matching panties.

"I don't know," Holly answered honestly. "I can say that I feel so much closer to you right now…knowing that we are committed to knowing each other again. I don't know if sex was taking away from that, but knowing that you feel I'm enough to wait for…" she couldn't really explain it perfectly.

Gail thought about it for a moment; she understood. "I better shower first… I have to be at work in less than ninety minutes."

"So no breakfast?" Holly pouted.

Gail leaned over and kissed her cheek. "How about dinner tonight? I'll cook…"

"I'll cook," Holly confirmed the date. "Eight o'clock your place?"

"Sounds good…" Gail smiled.

That smile carried her all the way to the division and almost allowed her to bump smack into her mother as she was lost in her goofy giddiness. "This is different," Elaine Peck didn't know whether to be happy or suspicious at Gail's good mood.

"My happiness?" Gail questioned, trying not to get automatically deflated by her mother's confusion. Why couldn't she just be happy that Gail was happy?

Elaine was about to respond, but she saw an unexpected treat coming her way. "Office Blaise," she said as happily as Elaine Peck could say something. She turned to the girl, dressed in khaki linen pants, a white tee shirt and a caramel colored leather jacket. "What do we owe this pleasure," and Gail thought she may actually mean that she was happy to see Chelyn.

"Hello Inspector," Chelyn said giving Elaine the proper deference. "I came to see Detective Peck, ma'am."

"Of course," Elaine nodded. "How is your investigation coming along, Officer?"

"We're making excellent headway," Chelyn assured the Inspector.

"And Officer Woods…"

"Is a pleasure to work with and a great asset to the investigation. She is actually at the morgue now doing some follow-up work," Chelyn revealed. Elaine Peck looked at her knowingly and nodded.

"Well, don't let me hold you up," Elaine dismissed the two.

When they were safely behind the walls of Gail's office, Gail rolled her eyes properly. "She practically drools over you." Gail wasn't jealous, just amazed at how much her mother really did actually like Chelyn. "I was in a good mood until I saw her…"

"Be happy you have your mother," Chelyn said seriously.

"Did you come all the way to the station to lecture me?" Gail questioned, not moved by Chelyn's platitude.

A small grin played on Chelyn's lips. "No," she shook her head. "I need a favor…"

"Of course you do," Gail said taking off her jacket.

"Nothing major…I just need you to look the other way on something…"

Gail took a measured breath. It wasn't like Chelyn to do things that needed "looking the other way," so Gail was almost compelled to ask for more information. Still, as friends, Gail gave Chelyn a bit of latitude. "Is this something illegal or will get you killed?"

Chelyn thought about it for a moment, "no…and anything could potentially get me killed," she laughed leaning against the door of Gail's office.

"As long as you aren't actively 'playing in traffic,'" Gail said pulling up her emails on the computer. "How is living with Elle going?" she asked as uninterested as she could muster up. Still, Chelyn easily saw through her fake blasé attitude about her and Elle's living arrangement.

"No…no…no… G.P…you don't get to ask that question," Chelyn smiled finally moving fully into the room and sitting in the chair in front of Gail.

Gail absolutely hated when Chelyn called her by her initial. "Ugh," Gail breathed deeply.

"Our investigation is going very well though…she's a great cop." Gail frowned at the bit of gushing and protectiveness she detected in Chelyn's tone.

"You are beginning to like her…" Gail accused although she meant to keep her mouth shut.

"Aren't I supposed to like her?" Chelyn twisted her face up in confusion.

Gail rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No…not the way you are liking her…" Gail said defensively. What was it with this girl! First Holly and now Chelyn.

"It's not like that," Chelyn assured her. "We are partners working a case…"

Chelyn had never lied to her before….at least to Gail's knowledge, so why would she start now. "Okay…whatever you are doing…"

"Case wise?" Chelyn clarified.

Gail narrowed her blue eyes and frowned. "You have very little latitude for me looking the other way."

Chelyn put her hands up playfully; "I just need a little…" she promised. She stood, "I'm gonna stop by my sister's office really quick before I disappear. I don't need to be seen at the station unless I'm being arrested," she smiled.

"Chelyn," Gail stopped her, "just remember that this is an operation and temporary."

It was Chelyn's first instinct to remind Gail that this sounded a bit judgmental, but instead she shrugged. "I know Detective," she promised Gail.

* * *

><p>Leon Bierman was taking his ever-loving time, and although Elle was happy she hadn't yet seen Holly, she wasn't sure how much longer she would have that luxury. "Leon…could we speed up this process?" Elle questioned with some frustration edging her tone.<p>

"I would," Leon said looking up from the file, "but this was Dr. Stewart's case," he said referring to the first murder case that Elle and Chelyn were looking into; and as if on cue, Holly appeared from the hallway.

She and Elle looked at one another for no more than a second before diverting their gazes. Holly still felt guilty and although Elle did one hell of a job hiding the fact, she was still hurt and bitter with their parting. "I'll take care of this, Leon," Holly managed a smile before she dismissed her subordinate. "Hello, Elle," she offered a flimsy olive branch once they were alone in the office. Elle opened her mouth to speak, but all of the sudden her mouth was dry and her mind was devoid of words. Holly took the lack of words as a slight, and when her brown eyes met Elle's greens one, she could barely conceal the disappointment. They weren't going to be able to put this behind them as quickly as she had wished. "What can I do for you, Gabrielle?"

The name sounded foreign and formal; the two things that Elle hated about it. Still, she shook the bad feelings off and concentrated on the case. "Chelyn and I were just wondering about any extra details for the first victim," Elle managed once her voice returned to full strength.

"Well, cause of death was strangulation, as the file says," Holly said looking over the file that was over five months old. "The body had been moved and dropped near Board Street, and it seemed that the female had given birth no more than eight months previously. She was still breast feeding from the looks of things… do you and Office Blaise have theories?"

"I'm almost sure Chelyn has a pretty concrete theory but it's still developing," Elle admitted. "What about the second victims? Anything special about them?"

"No…it wasn't even a strangulation, this couple doesn't fit in at all; it appeared to be pretty random; the location is all that links them."

"Thank you," Elle said gathering the files.

"Elle…" Holly had something to say, but not really.

"Holly, don't…you are with Gail and you are happy…"

"And you are playing house with the station bad ass …I'm sure it's all very fun…"

"I'm doing my job," Elle corrected Holly. "And why do you give a damn what I'm doing?" Elle could hear her voice raise a few octaves.

"I care," Holly said weakly.

"It's too bad you didn't care when we were together," Elle countered. "Don't talk about Chelyn. You don't know and …just don't talk about her," Elle said again.

Holly watched Elle gather the files and turn towards the door. "Elle…" was all she could say before the girl had left.

"What's wrong?" Chelyn questioned when Elle made it outside. She was noticeably shaken by her encounter with Holly, which Chelyn had figured may happen if she happened to come across Holly. This was why, after her stop by the station, she had swung down to the morgue and waited.

"What are you doing here?" Elle didn't want to smile but her green eyes lit up anyways. "I thought you couldn't do the morgue."

"I'm safely outside," Chelyn said taking a deep breath. "Holly was in there?"

"It is her wheelhouse," Elle shrugged. "She said…"

"Hey…" Chelyn stopped leaning against her car and pulled Elle a bit closer, "it's okay to not be over her…"

"I am over her…I just didn't expect it all to end so callously. I was good to her," Elle said leaning into the physical contact that Chelyn was offering. "I just don't understand it…" Elle could feel that she needed to cry, but refused to. She could feel Chelyn rub her thumb over the inside of her wrist and it was oddly soothing. "I just don't get…"

"Why she didn't appreciate you…" Chelyn said knowingly. "It doesn't make it any better, but she and Gail are…"

"Meant for one another," Elle rolled her eyes. "It doesn't make me feel any better, Chelyn."

"Will some work make you feel better?" Chelyn asked raising an eyebrow.

* * *

><p>"Your mother is on to you," Traci said closing the office door behind her. "And she is asking me questions…and I'm afraid of her; so I'm going to give her some answers."<p>

"What…" Gail said smiling. She had just gotten off of the phone with Holly and her good mood was carrying over. "What are you talking about Traci?"

"Elaine is onto your happiness…which translates to Holly…"

"Jesus, my mother knows that I'm seeing Holly again?" This was something that Gail was positively dreading. Elaine Peck and Holly did not get along, because unlike Traci, Holly got in the way of her career instead of elevating it like Traci did Steve's.

"No, but she knows something is up," Traci warned. "She accosted me in the break room today. Well, half of that was because she wanted to congratulate me on having a sister like Chelyn. I don't understand why she loves that kid so much," Traci shook her head. "Do you think it's because of Chelyn's mother's death?"

Gail shrugged, but in reality, she knew that it had everything to do with Chelyn's mom's death. Elaine Peck had been the person to break the news of the death to Chelyn and subsequently finding Chelyn when the girl had taken off the first time. Elaine was later the person who convinced Chelyn what a great cop she would be and interestingly enough, this was turning out to be true.

"Anyways, your mother is asking questions…"

"Tell her nothing," Gail commanded.

"What makes you think I was going to tell…?" Traci grinned devilishly. "You know your mother scares me."

"She's your mother-in-law…" Gail reminded her. "Anyways, just bring up your brilliant sister when she starts worrying about my private life. Hmm…what did you two talk about this morning...?"

"Who, I told you, your mom wanted to know why you were happier…"

"No, Chelyn. She was here like forty minutes ago," Gail revealed.

Traci frowned. "I didn't see her," she shrugged, "what did she want?"

"Latitude…" Gail said unsure exactly what that meant coming from Chelyn. Traci raised an eyebrow, knowing that a request like that was never good coming from Chelyn. "I should get out in front of this mom, Holly thing, shouldn't I?"

"Did that work for you last time?" Traci asked, moving slightly when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. "Geez, it's my dad which means he's looking for my sister."

"Why doesn't he call your sister then?"

"It doesn't work like that…she never answers his calls; so if you'll excuse me."

"Wait…do I get out in front of the mom vs. Holly thing?"

"Oh…absolutely! Get right out in front of that thing," Traci advised before answering her phone.

Gail couldn't understand why she felt like Traci had just told her to jump in front of a bus…


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey everyone, as promised part 2 of Latitude! I must admit, these have been my favorite two chapters because it's really setting the story up for something interesting! Please feel free to comment or review, whether you love it or hate it, just let me know! As always, I own nothing!**

Latitude (2)

Chelyn made it a point to never want to touch anyone. It was a personal policy of hers, something that she had cultivated once she moved in with her father and stepmother. She had found out quickly that they were not touchy-feely people, and in the eighteen months she lived with them, it had overwhelmingly became her policy too. This policy had crushingly become one of the biggest complaints of all the people she dated since that point; she was closed off, far away, or her favorite, aloof in their relationship. She didn't know why these complaints had never changed her behavior; or even more, why now she wanted so badly to touch Officer Gabrielle Woods.

"You sure that's all you want?" Chelyn distracted herself with a question, instead of reach across the table and taking Elle's wrist like she had done earlier that day. They were sitting at a small diner, tucked away in the corner of the city, having an early lunch. Chelyn had debated against the two options they had to explore today; one, checking out Theodore Nash's apartment, which was still empty since he was still in the hospital; or two, going to talk to Cola Wilson, who, according to Russ had unceremoniously dumped him to be with Joshua North.

"I'm not really hungry," Elle admitted shifting on the other side of the table. She had ordered a Caesar salad with the dressing on the side. She was still fixated on her earlier encounter with Holly and it was obvious.

"Well…" Chelyn began but the waitress delivering their food interrupted her. The waitress placed a stack of six pancakes, bacon and eggs in front of her.

Elle eyed her slowly, wondering where all the food went on Chelyn's slender frame. She had made countless meals where Chelyn seemed to eat and eat and never gain a pound. Yet, if Elle so much as ate one extra calorie she felt as if she gained at least two pounds. "I can't believe you are going to eat all of that," the amusement glistened in Elle's eyes, which caused Chelyn to laugh.

"Someone has to eat for the both of us," Chelyn said drowning her pancakes in syrup.

"If I eat like you, I'd gain 25 pounds a week," she said picking over her salad.

"There would be nothing wrong with you gaining 25 pounds," Chelyn assured her. She figured that she and Elle weigh about the same, it was just that Chelyn was tall and thin like her sister and father, and Elle's body boast some well-placed curves. Actually, Elle was well thinner than the women who usually caught Chelyn's eye, but Chelyn would never deny how attractive Elle was anyways.

"You don't really believe that," Elle said looking at Chelyn for a moment.

"I absolutely do," Chelyn said firmly. Elle confused her sometimes and that was frustrating. "Elle…" she began but the words to convey what she wanted to say alluded her. "What was your life like before you moved to Toronto?" she settled on after swallowing a mouthful of pancakes.

"I don't know," Elle shrugged. "Pretty standard…I spent time with my family, worked, dated…" Chelyn nodded her understanding. "You know, when you ask questions, it's unfair," she said after a few moments, which made Chelyn look up from her plate of pancakes.

"How so?" Chelyn took the bait, but before Elle could expand they both heard Chelyn's cell phone ring. The girl looked at the id and hit the ignore button.

"Who was that?" Elle questioned blatantly interested in the new frustration that had crossed Chelyn's soft features.

"My father," Chelyn surprisingly revealed. She took a strip of bacon off of her plate and pushed the rest to the side.

"Loss your appetite?"

"I don't want to be a pig," Chelyn shrugged.

"Why don't you and your father get along?" Elle asked boldly.

Chelyn looked mournfully at Elle for a moment. "Are you finished eating?" she asked coolly. When Elle refused to answer, she rolled her eyes. "Jason Nash does not want a relationship with me, Elle," Chelyn began. "He is only calling because he wants something…and I don't have time for that today."

"You don't have time for your father?"

"He didn't have time for me for thirteen years; he made sure my mother and I struggled while Traci and his wife lived in the lap of luxury," Chelyn could feel her temperature rise just talking about the man. She pulled out a wad of bills, and tossed two twenties on the table.

"So he had an affair with your mother?" Elle knew she should let it go, but this was as open as Chelyn had ever been about the subject.

"My mother was sixteen when they met…and he already had a family…she was all alone in the world and he took advantage of that," Chelyn said through clenched teeth. Her phone buzzed again, this time Traci, and Chelyn actually thought about answering it. "I don't hold grudges; but he left her alone with a baby with nothing …and he's still unapologetic about it," she tried to calm herself a little.

"I'm sorry," Elle said, her green eyes conveying more than she could say. She reached across the table to touch Chelyn's hand, "I'm sorry," she reiterated. Chelyn's phone vibrating beside them caused Chelyn to break contact with Elle. It was Traci again. "It must be important…" Elle said referring to the constant ringing of Chelyn's phone.

"Maybe…" Chelyn pushed the ignore button anyways. "Are you ready?" she questioned as she stood. Elle nodded and they headed back to Chelyn's car. They were headed down the highway when Chelyn got a text message from Traci.

"Are you going to ignore that?" Elle questioned.

"We are working…I don't bother her when she's working," Chelyn dismissed the phone's erratic buzzing. Elle settled into her quietness, just glancing at Chelyn every now and then. It was nearly fifteen minutes later when Chelyn pulled the car to a halt in front of mechanic's garage.

"Dixon…Dixon, I know you are here…lurking somewhere," Chelyn yelled into the open garage once she had exited her vehicle. She waited another second before tentatively entering the garage. Before she had a time to react properly, she was scooped off of her feet and spun around. "Let me down," Chelyn struggled playfully. "I hate it when you do that," she punched his rock hard chest when he finally let her down. Dixon Wilson towered over Chelyn's five-seven frame easily and although he had a baby face, his body was fully grown.

He and Chelyn exchanged glances that gave Elle the impression that they had, at one time, been more than friends, but she kept this thought to herself. He was an attractive guy, a bit pale, but dark black curly hair and gorgeous dimples with dark brown eyes. "Dixon, this is my girlfriend, Elle," Chelyn introduced her effortlessly. "Elle, this is Dixon Wilson…local mechanic and motor cross racer."

"Nice to meet you," Dixon extended his large hand and Elle believed he actually meant it. He smiled, but turned back to Chelyn. "I'm assuming you are here to see Cola," he said referring to his older sister. "She's upstairs in the office…"

"Why would you assume that?" Chelyn teased, but gently took Elle's hand and led her through the garage, where it seemed every guy under or around a car knew her, and up the stairs to the office. Chelyn knocked on the door gently before peeking her head inside.

"Chelyn!" Nicole Wilson squealed. Nicole looked a lot like her little brother, tall, slightly pale with dark hair and big brown eyes. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"Come on now…" Chelyn frowned.

"Oh my god! Do you ever stop protecting, Russ?" Cola asked closing the door behind the two women. "I figured as soon as you found out he and I were …"

"After I found out you cheated on him?" Chelyn corrected.

Cola was about to respond when she really focused on Elle for the first time. "New girlfriend?" she asked curiously. She went back and sat behind her desk, crossing her long, shapely legs.

"This is Elle," was all Chelyn had to offer before Cola was smiling.

"Well, nice to meet you Elle," Cola extended her hand like her brother had earlier. "I didn't cheat on Russy," Cola frowned. "I told him what I needed and he wouldn't do it…"

"Here comes the unfiltered part," Chelyn warned Elle. "And what was that, Cola?" she prodded.

"I'm unfiltered?" Cola seemed surprised by this characterization. When Chelyn said nothing, she only laughed. "I like Russy a lot, but he's a flat lay…is that filtered enough?" she questioned, amused with herself.

"Still not a reason to cheat," Chelyn chastised her playfully. "So…who was the lucky man?"

"Lucky indeed," Cola confirmed, "but it doesn't matter, me and the bastard aren't together anymore. I left Russy and got played myself…ain't that some shit?" Amusement played on the corners of Chelyn's mouth. "And you know he's with your ex-sister-in-law now…that bitch…"

"Indeed," Chelyn agreed. "She probably couldn't wait to swoop in…" Elle watched as Chelyn egged Cola on. "You know she loves 'good men,' but you have that bad boy fetish."

"Yep…that's what Josh was too…bastard. But he was amazing in bed," Cola closed her eyes to the memories. "It wasn't much he wouldn't do…"

"You two were a match made in heaven," Chelyn cut her off before she elaborated too much.

"Shit, for a good while…and then he started dating this uptight bitch…" Cola pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered them around. Both Chelyn and Elle declined, but she lit up a cigarette before going on. "She was saving herself for marriage, so he got it in his head that he was going to marry the bitch. Hell, he was still calling me four or five times a week…I mean I answered because no one tossed a salad like him…" Chelyn closed her eyes and tried not to laugh. She knew that eventually Cola would over-explain something. "But shit, the less pu…sex he got at home, the more adventurous he wanted to get."

"Well, why did him and Russ get into it?" Chelyn questioned.

"Josh liked it rough sometimes…and he may have gotten too rough…he left a couple of marks on me that Russ saw; and you know your friend with his chivalry."

"Rough huh?" Chelyn twisted her mouth into a frown.

Cola looked at Elle and wished the girl wasn't there because she could go into the proper detail with just Chelyn. Still she shrugged, "He liked to choke me right before he…you know," she smiled blowing out a line of smoke.

"And he's marrying someone who is saving herself for marriage?" Elle couldn't help but interject.

"Exactly…" Cola rolled her eyes at the notion. "That poor girl…if she wasn't inheriting all of those clubs…"

"What clubs?" Chelyn's ears perked up.

"That's why Josh is even dating the poor idiot. Her father owns Club Amnesia, and like five other clubs around the city. So he gets a cushy job and some of the freakiest sex in his life. Shit…the last time I was with him, he was being turned on to'Mom' play…"

"What is that…" even Chelyn was confused by this one.

"He wanted to be treated like a baby…and I draw the line at breastfeeding, hon…" Cola took one final drag off of her cigarette before snuffing it out. "Oh and his creepy obsession with recording shit now…I mean, I'm down for making a few flicks here and there…but every time and with some creepy dude in the room…"

"Ugh," Chelyn shivered at the thought. "What dude?"

"Honey, I don't know," Cola admitted. "Older black guy….he and Josh got to fighting the last time I was at the club. Something about the dude keeping some of the tapes…anyways, Josh went ballistic and beat the shit out of the poor bastard and had his ass dragged out into the alleyway. It was embarrassing, and they treat him like a god at that club. That's when I said I was done there…I like sex but…not that much." Chelyn looked at Cola dumbfounded. "Close your mouth, Che," Cola said lighting another cigarette, "someone called the paramedics for the poor bastard…"

* * *

><p>"I thought we were meeting for dinner…eight o'clock, your apartment," Holly smiled playfully.<p>

"I had a lag in my day," Gail admitted, "and I decided that there was no place I'd rather be…than the morgue," she laughed at how ridiculous it sounded. "How is your day going?"

"Do you really want to know," Holly looked to the ceiling. She didn't want to bring up Elle, especially with Gail, so she was hoping for a no.

"I'm guessing…no…" Gail smiled. A comfortable silence fell between them. "I ran into my mother this morning…"

"Sounds pleasant," Holly said sarcastically. There was no love lost between her and Elaine Peck.

"She's suspicious about my happiness…she cornered Traci about it…"

"Sounds like Elaine," Holly said tossing the folders she was holding on her desk and sitting in her chair.

"I want to tell her we are back together," Gail revealed after a beat. "I don't want to hide us…like we're not seeing each other. This is too important to me," Gail said firmly.

Holly's eyes searched her for a moment. "Are you being serious?"

"I was thinking we could take her and my father to dinner tonight; instead of it just being the two of us tonight," Gail sighed when Holly didn't answer after a few moments. Was this a bad idea…well of course this was a terrible idea…Elaine and someone she loved in the same room, but Gail needed to be open and honest with her mother. She wasn't going to be ashamed or afraid of her mother's opinion, because that would hurt her and Holly. "This was a bad idea…" she said finally sitting on the other side of Holly's desk.

Holly stood and moved in front of Gail. "I love you…like I loved you before, but I REALLY adore the person you are becoming or even trying to become," she said honestly. Gail stood too, her mouth quickly finding Holly's, motivated by the declaration and the fact that she was finally figuring out how this relationship was supposed to work. She didn't have to hide or conceal anything from Holly; Holly was just happy when she tried and god did she want to try for Holly. Holly pulled away for a moment, "I love you so much, Gail," Holly confessed.

Gail couldn't help, but smile at Holly's confession. "So tonight?" she whispered against her girlfriend's lips. Holly captured her mouth again in a kiss that could only be described as savage.

"Tonight," Holly agreed easily.

Her mother was a different story. Gail had stopped by her mother's office when she made it back to the station, but per the usual, there was a line of people vying for her mother's attention. When she finally did get a minute with Elaine, Gail felt like a young child begging for a treat instead of a daughter inviting her mother to dinner. However, Elaine finally relented and agreed to dinner at 8.

"Your father and I have a standing reservation at Bistecca's …be there no later than 7:45," Elaine said before dismissing her daughter.

"Mom…"

"Gail, I'm busy," Elaine had said before Gail could explain that Holly would be joining them too.

* * *

><p>She had wanted to drop Elle off to get her car, but the girl had flat out refused. This was THEIR case, and Chelyn shouldn't have to make difficult decisions alone, she had stated adamantly. So there they sat, outside of the apartment of Theodore Nash, trying to decide what to do next. Chelyn had been right, her friend Nicole was a wealth of knowledge and even though Chelyn hadn't wanted to hear some of the information, it was all valuable. None more valuable than Theodore's connection with all of this, but this was also the reason Chelyn felt like snakes were crawling in the pit of her stomach. She hunched over the steering wheel again and closed her eyes for a few moments.<p>

She was a cop; a damn good cop, so there was no reason to stop being one now. The decision should have been easy, yet something stood in her way. Traci…yep, it was as easy as she loved her sister, and her sister loved their uncle, Theodore; therefore something that was so easy became heavily burdensome.

Elle wanted to offer some words of encouragement, like perhaps Cola was mistaken about Theo's connection, but it would have all sounded hollow. Instead, she rested her hand gently on Chelyn's back. "Are we going to break into your uncle's apartment?" she asked finally.

Chelyn looked up and stared into Elle's green eyes. "I have a key," she revealed. "I took it from my sister's keyring this morning, so we won't have to break in…"

"So you already suspected something was up with your uncle…"

"I just knew his lips were moving, which likely meant he was lying," Chelyn said finally sitting upright in her car. "And that the pieces of story he was giving us wasn't true…I didn't think he was Josh's wingman. If he knew about the murders…"

"He likely didn't," Elle said quickly, wishing that her words could quash some of the misery in Chelyn's eyes and voice.

"Well," Chelyn said picking up a set of keys from her cup holder. "We'll see…"

* * *

><p>When Gail Peck was young, she reveled in the moments when she could garner a look of surprise from her mother and father. It didn't happen often, she was their second child and although they felt that Steve was mostly a golden boy, he had went through his paces at trying their patience. Therefore, Gail only receive looks of outright anger, and oh so many looks of disgust, but there was rarely any surprise in her parents' face. Today was one of those days that Gail Peck wished she was young again; when those looks of surprise actually meant something more than just a painfully long dinner with her parents and the person she loved.<p>

Her father, being the man that he was, had every intention of being pleasant to Holly. He could see that Gail loved this woman and after twenty eight years of life, hell, she had the right to make her own decisions. Elaine had effectively pushed the girl into a life police work, becoming a detective and now she was trying to control how quickly Gail moved up from detective.

"Mom, Dad, you know Holly," Gail said waiting for Holly to sit down before she took the seat beside her.

Her dad gave a gentle smile, but her mother's eyes cut holes in both Gail and Holly. "What is this Gail, an ambush?" her mother asked openly unnerved.

"Mom why would I ambush you?" Gail said easily picking up a glass of water in front of her.

Elaine looked positively mournful. "We were doing so well, Gail," she mumbled.

Gail side glanced at Holly, who was sitting straight-backed glancing over the menu. There weren't that many options; steaks, steaks or more steaks really. "Mom, I've done a lot of interesting things in my life…a lot to please you and a lot to piss you off; being with Holly is neither of those," Gail wanted to explain.

"Didn't you two try this before?" the question was directed at Holly. "For whatever reason, you decided it would be best to be without my daughter…"

"I never made that decision," Holly said looking up. The waiter stopped by the table, taking drink and appetizer orders, but Holly could already see that her appetite would be tested through this meal. The drinks arrived first, Gail had ordered a bourbon like her parents, but Holly had stuck to a nice Malbec.

"Mom, I made the mistake of pushing Holly out of my life…but it was a mistake and I plan to spend every day making it up to her."

Elaine exhaled nosily. "You are willing to throw away your career?"

"It's not an either or proposition…I can still have my career…"

"But can you be effective in your career!" Elaine barked. Elaine picked up her glass and took a sip. Her daughter did the opposite and drained the liquor in the glass and beckoned the waiter for a refill. "I want what's best for you, Gail…Holly you are a fine person and I'm sure you will make someone's daughter very happy…but Gail is a Peck and she needs to focus on that."

"What exactly is there about being a Peck that needs to be focused on?" Holly questioned defiantly. From the side, she could see Gail's father drain the liquid from his glass with that question.

"If you were an officer Holly, you would understand the position Gail is in. She is young and rising through the ranks of a Division that hasn't always been kind to women. She is my daughter, and my legacy, and right now, she and Traci are highly successful in leading two major divisions."

"So it's my job to live out your legacy?" Gail questioned fiddling with the refilled glass in front of her.

"No, my legacy is concrete; I would just appreciate you not making me look like shit," Elaine countered.

"Is that what I do…?"

"No…lately, you have been amazing; but I should have known that was too good to be true." Elaine's words cut deep and for a moment, Gail felt as if the temperature in the room was rising. She felt Holly's hand on hers and was grateful for a moment that she wasn't alone with her parents at the table.

Gail could feel her eyes pooling with water and felt embarrassed by the weakness. "I love Holly," she said pushing back from the table.

Elaine snickered, turning to her husband, "As long as Gail has love, I suppose everything will be just fine…"

It was needless to say that after that comment, dinner was over for Gail and Holly. It was an hour later, tucked away safely from the malice of her mother that Gail really allowed herself to be hurt by her mother's words. Was she so unsophisticated that she couldn't handle a relationship and her job? Traci did it, Steve did it, and her parents had been married for YEARS, yet she was too weak to handle the same?

"What are you thinking about?" Holly asked bringing a cup of tea to the living room and placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch. Holly lifted Gail's legs and sat on the couch, placing Gail's legs in her lap.

"I'm trying to think what I would be if I wasn't a cop…I don't think I've ever thought about it," she moaned, feeling Holly gently kneading her calf. "My mother plays guilt and shame like chess pieces, so I never really thought about what I'd be if I wasn't what she wanted me to be…"

"Don't think about it, because you are Detective Gail Peck and you are amazing," Holly informed her. She moved her hands a bit higher and was rewarded with a tender moan from Gail. "I'm not going to stand in the way of that, Gail."

"I never thought that you would," Gail's eyebrows furrowed together. "My mother just assumed you have to be unhappy and detached to be a good cop…"

"And you know better than that?" Holly questioned.

"I don't know honestly," Gail admitted sitting up now. "I just know I wanna be with you and be a cop, and I don't think they are mutually exclusive. But I may be short changing you both."

"I just want effort Gail, like tonight. You stood up to your mother; you made me feel like I was really meaningful in your life and not just a placeholder."

"You were never a placeholder Holly…" Gail was stunned by the revelation that she had ever made Holly feel that way. "Holly…"

"Gail, you don't have to say anything," Holly promised her as she reached out and cupped her face. She kissed her tenderly. She pulled back, "someone is at your door," she whispered against Gail's lips, because Gail obviously didn't hear the knocking at the door.  
>"Shit," Gail said finally recognizing the soft tapping at her door. "Worse damn timing," she said pulling back from Holly and heading to the door. She stood on her tip toes and looked through the peephole. She unlocked the door and opened it to Chelyn Blaise looking small and confused. "Chelyn…" Gail began, "what's wrong…"<p>

Chelyn looked pass Gail and saw Holly. "Can I talk to you in private for a minute?" Chelyn questioned obviously nervous.

Gail looked back at Holly and slowly turned back to Chelyn, "what's the matter, Che?" she asked quietly.

The girl looked from Gail to Holly again before saying… "I think I have a lead in the Club Amnesia case…"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure, Chelyn?" Detective Gail Peck didn't really need any more reassure other than Chelyn saying it was so, but the girl was so visibly shaken and uncomfortable that Gail thought it would be best to ask. Chelyn wasn't unsure though; just unnerved that Theodore Nash was likely an active participant in a murder case and that her sister was going to hate her for bringing it to her superior officer's attention.<p>

"I'm sure, Gail…" Chelyn said weakly, not because she was unsure, but because she felt like she'd be sick any moment. She and Elle had went to Theodore's apartment, if for nothing more than a look around, and they had seen hundreds of tapes…footage from the club, other clubs, and just Josh North in general.

"You didn't move anything?" Gail asked leaning against the wall outside her apartment still dumbfounded by the story Chelyn had just relayed to her.

"Of course not!" Chelyn looked at Gail as if she were out of her mind. "I wouldn't interrupt chain of custody or screw this up…"

"I know…I know…and you didn't break in?" Gail continued to question. Chelyn pulled a set of keys out of her pocket and handed them to Gail.

"They're Traci's…" her sister's name felt bitter in her mouth, like the fact that she was telling on Theo was directly betraying Traci. "She's his emergency contact and had a set of keys to his apartment." Gail nodded.

"Your latitude?" Gail said finally figuring out what Chelyn had meant earlier that day.

"I didn't want to be right…I didn't know he was this involved," Chelyn admitted. "I just knew that his story to us was a bit implausible …I played a hunch."

"Well…you played a hunch well," Gail said in a bit of a congratulatory tone. "Can we get Theo to turn on Josh?"

"He's a coward, so most likely. "I'm guessing money was involved. Theo's apartment was scattered with unpaid bills…he likely kept the tapes for blackmail."

"And you didn't disturb the tapes?"

"No, Gail!" Chelyn said sliding down the wall and resting on the floor. "I'm not stupid."

"I know that…but you are his nie… you are related, whether you like it or not…"

"I'm going to lose my sister over this, Gail…it's by the book. I wouldn't have told you otherwise," Chelyn could feel her eyes filling with tears; something that hadn't happened for a long time. She loved her sister, no matter what arguments they had, she always loved Traci and this was enough to make her lose her sister.

"Traci will understand…if Theo was protecting a murderer….you are doing your job…" Chelyn wished she believed Gail. "How about this other girl, will she testify on Josh and Theo if she has to?"

"Yes… Nicole is a handful sometimes, but she'll testify if she needs to," Chelyn said as confidently as she had been since she began talking to Gail. "What do you want me to do now?"

"Nothing," Gail shook her head. "Let me look into this stuff…you and Gabrielle lay low for a while and I'll get with you as soon as something is concrete, okay?" Chelyn final stood again and turned to head down the hallway. "Hey, Che…you did good…" Gail felt it necessary to reiterate. The girl stopped for a moment and turned towards Gail, her eyes faintly glistening from unshed tears. She turned and head back towards the exit of Gail's apartment building; leaving the tangled mess of the case in Gail's lap.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello everyone. Wanted to get the next chapter up before the weekend! As always, enjoy and feel free to review and comment! Look for an update sometime early next week :) **

Reach For You

"Do you want me to go home tonight?" It was an innocent question, especially since Chelyn had just dropped a bombshell in Gail's lap. Still, Gail looked hurt by the question and Holly could tell as much. "I mean…I just…" she ran her fingers through her brown hair. "I didn't bring anything to wear to bed…" she finally decided on as she adjusted her glasses.

"You can borrow something of mine," Gail said looking at Holly with a frown. She had shut down and become quiet since Chelyn had left thirty minutes early, but not because she wanted Holly to leave. She was only thinking; thinking about how this case could eventually blow up in her, Chelyn and Traci's face. "I need you here tonight," she admitted softly.

"Okay," Holly let out a ragged breath. "Can I get ready for bed then?"

Gail nodded absently, once again lost in her head about what Chelyn had told her. If Traci's uncle was involved and Gail didn't tell her sister-in-law, Traci would hate her. Furthermore, she was already going to hate Chelyn for telling Gail before coming to her. But if they didn't go by the book, Gail could lose both Theo and Josh for these murders. It was too complicated; at least for the night, and the fact that she had just argued with her mother wasn't lost on Gail either.

Who was Elaine Peck to tell her she couldn't be a good cop and girlfriend at the same time! Ugh, it was all too frustration, especially at nearly ten o'clock at night when all she desperately wanted was sleep. Early the next morning she would figure it all out, but now, all she wanted was sleep. Well, at least that what she thought she wanted until she made it to the door of her bedroom.

It was innocent enough; Holly had found something she used to sleep in a year ago; a cream colored lace babydoll that Gail had given her for one of their anniversaries. It was Gail's absolute favorite piece of clothing on Holly, considering that she hated that Holly ever wore clothes. The lace clung tightly to Holly's frame and barely reached her upper thigh; and those oh so lucky times, like right now, when she was laying on the bed, it rose just enough to conceal nothing important.

Gail could feel her breath catch and unfortunately Holly had heard her. "You can't wear that," Gail whispered with an intense mixture of pleasure and misery. Holly looked at her, confused, and reminded her. "This used to be mine," she said firmly.

Gail took a step into her room and closed her eyes. "I know," she said softly, "but you can't wear that tonight, Hols," she struggled to get the words out as memories of the last time Holly had worn that flashed in her mind. She could literally feel Holly's mouth on her body and vice versa, and since that same scene wouldn't be on the table for tonight, Gail couldn't bare have Holly in that babydoll.

"What do you want me to wear, honey?" Holly asked with all innocence. Still, she could see that her words had the opposite effect of innocence when Gail closed her eyes again. She knew what Gail was thinking about; the night she had taken the detective test. Holly remembered how proud she had been of Gail, regardless if she passed or not, Holly was impressed by how much time and effort had put into the process. She wanted to, no need to, show Gail how much she truly loved her that night.

"Holly…" Gail clenched her teeth tightly. "Please…I'm trying here," she pleaded. "But I'm no saint…I see you in that and I think about…" she could feel her pulse race a bit.

Holly swung her legs to the side of the bed and gently swept her feet against the hardwood floors. "The night you made love to me on nearly every surface of your apartment?" she asked seriously. She stood and came to stand in front of Gail. "The night that you had me convince no one could ever make me feel like you could?" Holly said pulling Gail's shirt over her head.

Gail was speechless, but her body had a mind of its own as Holly's hands went to the button of her pants. "Holly…we said we'd wait," she said weakly.

Holly kissed her neck. "Until we were ready…until we were sure…" Holly clarified before she slipped her tongue into Gail's mouth. She pulled away, "I'm sure," and her brown eyes confirmed that she was serious. "I don't want anyone else to have you…and I don't want anyone else to have me…" she promised kissing her way from Gail's neck to her exposed bellybutton.

"Holly…are you sure," Gail closed her eyes and wondered why she had even asked. Although she wanted it to be right this time…she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop even if she needed to.

Holly paused a moment, "I couldn't be more sure…" she said lowering herself fully to the floor.

* * *

><p>Chelyn wasn't sure if it was the cold of the outside or the sudden slamming of the front door that had awaken her. Either way, she was now sitting up on her couch, rubbing her heavy brown eyes and trying to piece together the bulk of her night. She had come straight home after leaving Gail's, assuming she would find Elle there. She had been wrong; Elle was not there, and although Chelyn felt disappointed, she knew better than to ever expect anything. She had pulled down a bottle of bourbon, a gift from Gail after the first case they had broken together, and started drinking. She couldn't quite articulate why she needed to drink; just that after two drinks, her mind seemed less heavy. So much less heavy, in fact, that she had soon closed her eyes and fallen asleep on the couch.<p>

"I didn't think you would be here," Elle said when she saw Chelyn sit up. She was being honest; it had happened before…something had gotten on Chelyn's nerves and she hadn't shown up back at the cabin into four or five the next morning. Elle had hated that feeling, not only not knowing where Chelyn was that night, but expecting the worse; that she was giving someone else her attention. It was a strange and doleful feeling; one that she had no intentions of repeating that night. Therefore, once Chelyn dropped her off to get her car, Elle had promptly decided to not return to the cabin until she was nearly exhausted, so she could think of nothing but sleep when she was at the cabin, instead of where the mysterious Chelyn Blaise was residing that night. "Did you come straight here?" Elle questioned moving around the couch and plopping down in the chair beside it.

"Yeah," Chelyn continued to rub her eyes. Her voice was still thick with a mixture of bourbon and sleep. "Why wouldn't I be here?" she narrowed her eyes to the question, when in fact she truly wanted to know where Elle had been.

Elle shrugged, "No reason, I guess," she dismissed. "I mean, you have been known not to come home when you are upset, and you seemed upset…" she let her words trail off in hopes of capturing Chelyn's attention.

She had. Chelyn knew the night that Elle was talking about. It was a night that Elle had cooked her dinner and they had settled on the couch to watch a movie. The evening felt too natural…too much like this was all real and not just an operation anymore, so Chelyn had done what she had to do to put some distance between them. She had spent the night out shooting pool with Russ and a few other friends, coming in well after a time she knew Elle would be asleep. "I wasn't upset that night…" Chelyn revealed. "Are you upset tonight?"

Elle looked at her confused, shaking her head. "It's just been a long day and I needed a drink." She conveniently left out the phone number she had collected from the beautiful brunette at the bar. "I would have come directly here if I knew you were going to be here," she said softly. This garnered a tiny smile from Chelyn. "What have you been doing?"

"Drinkin'," Chelyn said rubbing her temple, "feeling sorry for myself. Come…" she beckoned Elle over, "sit…I think I had been watching Charlie Brown…" Chelyn said looking at a movie that was now on the television. Elle was hesitant to sit beside Chelyn, but did so despite feeling nervous. Nervous because even though earlier that night she had received attention from one of the girls at the bar. Elle had even agreed to a date, but within seconds of being in a room with Chelyn, she was feeling like that was a mistake.

"What's on now?" she asked slowly sitting beside Chelyn.

Chelyn leaned forward and pick up the bottle of bourbon that was already opened. "I don't know," she said taking a swig of the liquor. She grimaced, hating the taste of the liquor, but it was unburdening her brain. She offered the bottle to Elle, who took a sip.

"I'm not a bourbon, girl," Elle frowned although she took another swallow.

"What did you drink at the bar?" Chelyn asked taking the bottle back.

"A beer…" Chelyn only laughed. "Don't laugh at me," Elle punched her playfully. "I'm boring…"

"That, you are not," Chelyn said patting Elle's thigh absently. "There is nothing wrong with a beer."

"You don't like beer…" Elle said getting a bit more comfortable. She grabbed the remote and began flipping the channels.

"I like beer just fine," Chelyn corrected her. "Why are you changing the channel…maybe Charlie Brown was coming back on ..."

"I'm sure you've seen it before," Elle said settle on a reality TV show. There was nothing like reality TV to make her living in a cabin, undercover, look absolutely normal.

Chelyn shook her head, "No … I didn't even know Charlie Brown made movies…" she laughed. "My mom and I never really watched TV. My mother never kept still enough to watch things on TV. We were usually outside or exploring something."

"My mother had four kids…she plopped us in front of the TV and I had to fight my brothers for control of the remote."

"Well I guess I missed an opportunity when I was young…I could have watched whatever I wanted to…" Chelyn let her words hang there for a moment. "It must was nice, having siblings."

"You have a sibling," Elle reminded her softly.

"I didn't know about Traci until I was ten…and I didn't get to know Traci until I was fourteen or so…she was already gone and I was already all broody."

"Like now," Elle looked at Chelyn teasingly. She reached across Chelyn and took the bottle again. She caught sight of the look Chelyn gave her and blushed against the girl's scrutiny. "What?" she asked nervously.

"Why didn't you really come straight here? Did you think I was going to be brooding?"

"Maybe," Elle lost the grip on the bottle, but luckily Chelyn still had her grip.

Elle wasn't completely sure who moved closer first, but she assumed it was her. Still, it was surprising how easily Chelyn captured her mouth as if it were the most natural action ever. She was tender and all-encompassing at the same time and it took a moment before Elle had the will to pull back even a little bit. She could only manage to rip herself away for a moment the first time before returning to Chelyn's slight parted lips and taking advantage of the feel of the expert assault on her sense. And then she remembered, that Chelyn was likely a little drunk and was missing the point of what they were doing. This was enough; enough to make Elle properly pull back and extract the confused and hurt look from Chelyn's eyes before standing up quickly. "I should go to bed," Elle said slightly nervously and awkwardly. She didn't give Chelyn time to respond, just turned her back and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.

* * *

><p>Gail shuttered slightly before collapsing beside Holly. "Sorry," she mumbled trying to calm her pulse and stop the shutters that reverberated through her body. "I didn't mean to…" she could feel Holly's lips on her back and it prevented her from properly finishing her sentence. She turned onto her back and took a deep breath.<p>

"Did I prove to you that I was sure?" Holly said leaning in to kiss Gail.

Gail swallow, she was exhausted but happily so. "Have I told you I love you?"

"Only about four times if I was counting right," Holly said laying on her back too. "I love you too,"

"Yeah…you don't have to say that; I'm more than positive about that," Gail assured Holly. They had made love several times and in several different places. The floor, the bed the first time, the shower/tub, and finally the bed again. "What do we do now?"

"We could do the shower again?" Holly suggested smirking.

"I mean …about everything. I don't think I can go back to sleeping in separate beds…"

"We shouldn't," Holly said simply.

Gail turned and rested her head on her fist. "What does that mean?" she asked kissing Holly's shoulder blade and then collarbone.

"How about we just start anew … we can look for new places to live?"

"So a complete teardown huh? Do you really want to move…you love your place?"

"I love wherever you are every night when I get home," Holly corrected her.

"I can be wherever you want me to be," Gail promised. "But we can look for apartments after I close this case. I'll have time to focus…" Holly trailed her fingers along Gail's ribs, "on something other than sex…I didn't mean to say that…" Gail smiled.

"I think you did," Holly said looking over her shoulder to see the time. "One more time before we actually sleep?"

Gail couldn't help but smile… "One more time," she agreed.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hello everyone! As always enjoy and feel free to comment or review :)**

First Born Second

"Your bullshit has mom on my ass," Steve whined. Gail hadn't even gotten her first cup of coffee in and her big brother was already interfering with the rhythm of her day. She had gotten less than three hours of sleep, thanks to the case, which she wasn't particularly upset about. However, she was upset about being bombarded with the whining by her grown-ass brother this early in the morning. She had hours of notes from various cases to get through today; none more important than Chelyn and Elle's case. It had been three days since Chelyn had delivered the notes; and Gail had put someone on trailing the whereabouts of Joshua North, but she still hadn't gotten through all of notes yet. It hadn't been easy; she was effectively avoiding her sister-in-law, while trying to piece together what Chelyn had told her about her and Traci's uncle.

"I have neither the time nor patience for this, Steve," Gail warned heading back towards her office. "I have a pile of work on my desk and like a million files to get through today; don't screw with me."

Steve ignored his sister's warning and followed her anyway. "I mean, you getting back with Holly is great; but you brushing mom off and ignoring her is just making her bother me. She is questioning my fertility…"

"I would just question your masculinity," Gail said with a bit of bite. This made her smile, and then laugh.

"I'm glad this makes you happy," Steve rolled his eyes. "She wants me and Traci to have children."

"Sounds like a personal problem," Gail said after a sip of her coffee. She entered her office and had every intention of closing the door in Steve's face, but he snaked in behind her.

"Well, it's a good thing you and Holly don't have that problem…"

"Yeah, I can get Holly pregnant any time I want to," Gail said sarcastically. She opened up a case file, "I'm just that potent…"

"I meant that mom doesn't want to constantly be in you two's relationship," Steve said making himself comfortable in a chair and opening up a folder. He was quickly shut down by his sister. "Hey…I'm a detective too…"

"None of these are your cases," Gail said firmly. "And mom isn't in my relationship, because she doesn't want me to have a relationship…with the best person I know," she added on. "So please, take your non-problems and take them elsewhere. Go find your wife and get her pregnant or something…"

"You are my little sister, you are supposed to care about my life…" Steve reminded Gail. The skeptical look on Gail's face informed him that his declaration wasn't impressive to her. "Speaking of siblings…Traci mentioned she hasn't heard from Chelyn in forever…she's okay, isn't she?"

"I don't know…you live with Traci; is she okay?" Gail deflected although he knew Steve was talking about Chelyn. She heard her brother release a frustrated breath, which made her smile on the inside.

"You know I was talking about Chelyn," Steve referred to his sister-in-law. "Traci won't say it, but she's always worried about that kid."

"That is kid is 22."

"Doesn't matter…it's not easy being the oldest," Steve said finally standing up. "If you happen to talk to Chelyn…tell her to call her sister…please."

Gail looked up at her brother for a second before returning her attention to the papers in front of her. "It's not easy being the oldest, huh?" She couldn't buy into that; not the way her parents doted on poor perfect Steve. The boy had been practically sporting a halo since birth. She heard the door open on the other side of the room. "It's not easy being the second born either, Steve…but I'll tell Chelyn if I talk to her…"

"That's all I ask, second born," Steve smiled before leaving Gail in her office alone.

Gail rolled her eyes and opened the file containing the information on Josh North. If it had been anyone but Chelyn, it would have peeved Gail that all of the notes on the case were handwritten. Yet, Chelyn had long discovered how to make her letters look so much like computer script that Gail had no trouble reading them. The girl was meticulous with her notes and conclusions; something that Gail couldn't help but appreciate. Chelyn and Elle had drawn out a good timeline, and they had a supposed motive and had drawn a number of instants of Josh's temper getting the best of him.

Gail picked up her phone and dialed quickly. "Robert…" he had answered on the first ring. This was the guy she had assigned to set on Josh's ever move. "What do you have?" Robert agreed to come in and debrief her immediately although her had been up half of the night. Gail returned her attention to the case notes. The next section was about the connection between Josh North and Theodore Nash. Just as Gail was about to turn the page, she received a knock on the door and Traci popped her head into her office, smiling.

"Hey Traci," Gail said closing the file quickly.

"I'm not interrupting you, am I?" Traci questioned. "I can come back later…"

"Come on in," Gail said easily. Traci was one of those people that she didn't hate seeing. "It's early…my day hasn't been completely bogged down with nonsense yet."

"Well, like you said…it's early yet," Traci smiled. She let the words settle between them before asking, "Have you talked to Chelyn lately?"

"It's been a couple of days," Gail hadn't talked to the girl since the night she delivered the files and news that Theodore Nash was likely involved in the case.

Traci only nodded sadly. "Yeah…she's not answering my calls and she's rarely ever seen…"

"You're worried?" Gail knew her friend was, but Traci always put on a brave face when it came to her little sister.

"No…just …I don't know, hurt maybe," Traci couldn't vocalize the feeling properly. "She never seeks me out…and my dad asks me about her because I should know. I'm the only one in the family she actually makes an effort with…but lately she hasn't been making an effort. I wanna blame the case…?" it was more of a question than a declaration.

"It's the case," Gail assured her. It seemed to alleviate some of Traci's worries.

"I'm thinking about maybe shooting up to the cabin," Traci said even though she shuttered at the thought.

"She would like that Traci," Gail encouraged. Traci thought about it for a second and nodded. Gail's confirmation had given the idea real traction in her mind, even though she hated that cabin and those woods.

"Thanks, Gail. You are getting really good at this giving advice thing…"

"I hope not…I don't want people seeking me out…" Gail grimaced. "I mean…you're fine but others…" she laughed.

"How are things going with Holly?" Traci changed the subject.

"Really good," Gail said softly. She couldn't help the small smile that spread so quickly across her face when Holly's name was mentioned. "I told my parents that we were back together…"

"Oh…that's the reason my ovaries on high alert from your mother?" Traci laughed. "I was wondering how that happened…"

"Yeah, that was likely my fault…" Gail said, her voice laced with an apology.

"No…no…its fine. Your parents just assume Steve is sterile," she teased. "I'm glad you are happy though, Gail. You deserve it."

For the first time in a long time, Gail felt the same way. "Thanks Traci."

"Well, if I'm going to the land of the great beyond, I better leave here at a decent time," Traci sighed. "If you talk to Chelyn…"

"I'll tell her to bring her ass out of the mountains and see you," Gail promised.

Once Traci left her office, there was only about a five minute break before Officer Robert Chase entered her office for a quick debriefing.

"He definitely has anger problems," Robert confirmed. "Josh North is a loose cannon," the seasoned cop cringed. "Alley way fights, blowing up in coffee shops…I could see him for murder," the man confessed.

"That's what Officer Blaise said…and the timeline and motive fit…" Gail said looking down at some more of Chelyn and Elle's notes.

"But…still not enough evidence?" Robert said knowingly.

"Nope…I've asked Dr. Stewart to reopen the case files for the victims …but without Josh's DNA it's worthless."

Robert frowned. "What's the next step…I'm not comfortable putting those girls in Club Amnesia," he admitted.

"Neither am I," Gail agreed. "Can you do a couple of days following someone else?"

"Of course…who…"

"Theodore Nash," Gail said handing Robert a manila folder. "Just see his everyday actions…maybe pull some bank records …you know the usual." Robert opened the folder and then looked up at Gail knowingly. "I don't have to explain the discretion needed for this one, do I?" Gail raised a perfectly arched brow.

"Of course not, Detective," Robert nodded. "I'll get back to you as soon as I have something…"

"Thank you, Robert." Gail hadn't wanted to go that route, but they had nothing concrete on Josh and if she had to arrest Theodore Nash to get him to turn on his buddy, it wouldn't phase her all. However, it may start a civil war between sisters and in-laws, so it was Gail's nuclear option. Too bad it seemed as if she was going to have to deploy it.

Gail rubbed her eyes furiously. She could feel her stress meter pique just enough to make her feel uncomfortable. She took a deep breath, but it wasn't enough to alleviate the small bit of fear that was churning in her stomach. She hadn't had a panic attack in no telling how long, but just the thought of it made Gail feel flushed with nerves. "Everything is alright…" she mumbled to herself, angry that this feelings hadn't completely stopped torturing her yet. She reached across the desk and grabbed a bottle of water and opened it. She took a sip and closed her eyes. _"What's the worst thing that could happen?"_ she asked herself calmly. She couldn't think of anything, and then the image of her world falling apart and the image of Holly walking out on her bounced in her head. She felt her heart clutch in her chest as she could see and hear the fight … Holly telling her she was inadequate and she had found someone new…Gail tried to breathe, but her attempts were shallow. She opened her eyes quickly. _"STOP THIS,"_ she screamed inside her head.

"Detective Peck…" someone knocked on the door… "Do you think you could help with this case…" she heard the person ask through the door.

"Give me a minute," Gail said. It took another six minutes before Gail could leave her office.

* * *

><p>Holly fumbled with her keys at her apartment door, but paused just long enough to catch the scent of food wafting into the streets. She opened her door slowly, pleasantly surprised by the mixture of food, candlelight, and music beckoning her inside. Holly removed her jacket and searched the living room and kitchen for Gail eagerly. "Babe…" she called out and as if from thin air, Gail appeared from around the corner.<p>

"Dammit," Gail swore. "I thought I had a little bit longer before you'd be home," she was holding a bottle of freshly opened wine. Holly looked at her confused. "I still have a key," she explained… "It's not a problem…is it?"

"Of course not," Holly said shaking her head. She was just caught off guard…figuring that since Gail had been working late every night this week, tonight would be no different. "I just figured it'd be another long night at the station…"

Gail scratched her eyebrow. "I needed a break," she revealed. Even after her mini attack, the day had droned on and dragged her into one stressful situation after another until she had had enough. She had cut out a little after five and she didn't want to go home to a quiet and empty apartment.

"I'm glad you decided to take a break," Holly said pulling her in for a kiss. "You cooked?" she asked skeptically, knowing that it wasn't Gail's favorite thing to do.

"Something simple," Gail said handing Holly the bottle of wine and heading to the couch. "Chicken is in the oven and some potatoes…I thought you'd be hungry when you got home. You missed lunch right?" Holly had texted her earlier in the day about missing lunch, but that's all they were really able to talk about.

"Yeah, baby," Holly said but couldn't help frowning. "Did you have a bad day Gail?" she said putting the wine on the perfectly set table. She already knew the answer, but it helped Gail to vocalize her feelings most of the time.

"Just long," Gail threw off, yet she leaned back on the couch and buried her head in the crux of her elbow. She felt the couch sank beneath Holly's weight and waited for her girlfriend's rebuttal. There was none, so Gail unshielded her eyes and looked at Holly, who was just staring at her patiently. "This case is …complicated…it's beginning to wrap around family lines." When she realized Holly didn't know what that meant, she tried to clarify without over clarifying. "Chelyn and Traci's relationship may be on the line…"

Holly looked at Gail sympathetic. "And they are your family too now," she understood almost immediately.

"Yeah…it's like I keep getting really close to normal and happy…and something happens to blow it all up."

"Just don't take sides, baby," Holly said gently taking Gail's hand. When Gail didn't speak, she sighed, "It's not that easy, is it?" Gail looked towards the sky, and shook her head. "And you can't tell me specifics…"

"Not yet," Gail said weakly. "I would …"

"I know," Holly smiled sadly. "I understand," Holly said unthreading their fingers slowly. "I'm going to jump into the shower…." It was an invitation, Gail could feel as much, but she didn't have the energy or motivation to accept.

"I'll be right here," she said softly, kissing Holly. It was nearly forty minutes later when Holly returned. Gail was now lounging on the couch, her body pressed against the back of the couch. She could hear Holly lightly blow out the candles and soon smelled the scent of the killed flame mixed with Holly's light perfume. Gail wanted to set up, but her efforts were fruitless. She soon saw Holly kneel on the floor beside the couch.

"What else is wrong, Gail?" Holly asked gently moving the hair around on Gail's forehead.

"I love you," Gail said sadly.

"And that's a problem," Holly smiled kissing her girlfriend's forehead.

"I was just sharing a fact," Gail replied.

"I love you too…" Holly reciprocated.

"I had another panic attack today," Gail blurted out, as if this would challenge Holly's love for her. Instead, Holly's eyes softened and her hand moved to cup Gail's cheek. She didn't need to say anything because Gail automatically found absolution and comfort in her touch. She moved her mouth to kiss the palm of Holly's hand. "Tell me I have to be patient and work through the process," she whispered against Holly's hand. She knew the words, but she need to hear them from Holly; the person she loved more than anything. Holly tilted her head to the side, but didn't speak. "I couldn't stop imagining you leaving me…" Gail was waiting for a reaction, but Holly let her finish. "It was terrifying…it's always in the back of mind, Holly."

"But you still came home to me…" Holly reminded her tenderly. "That's all you have to do, Gail. I'm always going to be home waiting for you." Holly stood and lay behind Gail on the couch. "And it is a process, baby."

Gail turned in Holly's arms, feeling that calm she had sought all day. "Can we stay like this forever?" she murmured against Holly's neck.

Holly smiled, "Or until my arms fall asleep," she said wrapping Gail a little tighter in her warmth.

* * *

><p>Traci could hear Chelyn's music and see her in the kitchen from the front porch. It still amazed Traci how reckless and unbothered by threats her little sister actually was. It had everything to do with how she was brought up; Chelyn's mother was a free-wheeling hippy as far as Traci was concerned, which was why Chelyn rarely took the time or proper precautions to protect herself. Traci's hand went to the doorknob and turned it easily. She couldn't help but roll her eyes; of course, Chelyn didn't even think to lock her doors.<p>

Still, in the need not to scare her sister half to death, Traci called out and knocked on the door simultaneously. "Chelyn!" she yelled over the music filling the space. Chelyn turned around and couldn't disguise the raw confusion that clouded her face when she saw her sister. "Hey," Traci offered with a shrug.

"Hey…" Chelyn followed the sentiment as she killed the volume on her music. "You're at my house," she said as if Traci hadn't driven there under her own will.

Traci took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. Not only at her sister's comment, but really at Chelyn's exposed stomach and the two tattoos running down her taunt ribcage. She explicitly told Chelyn not to deface her body, but it seemed to have made Chelyn do it more quickly.

"I know that I'm at your house," Traci said, not wanting to move in any further. Chelyn sensed as much and headed to the door.

"You wanna sit on the porch?" she questioned easily ushering her sister outside. Traci seemed to be a bit more comfortable outside. "What do I owe this pleasure?" Chelyn asked happily.

"A pleasure…I can't tell," Traci said seriously. "You don't call, you don't text…Gail said you were at the Division the other day…"

"I stopped by your office," Chelyn frowned.

"And when I wasn't there…you left …you haven't been answering my calls…" Traci didn't want to sound hurt.

"I've been working," Chelyn knew her excuse was flimsy at best. "You're here now though…did you come up to lecture?"

"No…just checking on you…" Traci clarified. "How have you been…you look well," she smiled at the fact that for the first time in a long time Chelyn didn't look like a stick figure. Traci always appreciated the fact that she and her sister looked alike; it was something to hold onto because besides looks, Traci and Chelyn had very little in common besides police work.

"I'm getting three square meals a day," Chelyn revealed.

"Gabrielle?" Traci questioned.

"She enjoys cooking…and her parents were bakers so she bakes the best things," Chelyn said smiling fondly. A smile that wasn't lost on her sister. She had only seen Chelyn eagerly talk about two people prior to Elle and that was Rodger and later Marissa.

"So you two are getting along?"

"We're efficient in our work."

"And safe?" Traci edged in.

"I'm alive, aren't I…" for some reason when Traci questioned her safety, it felt like she was questioning her competency.

Traci stood. A twenty minute drive just to argue with her sister; yep, sounded about right. Since they were already on the path off of niceties, Traci offered, "Mom and dad have been asking about you," she said referring to her mother and their shared father. She expected a rude comment, but Chelyn only shrugged.

"Tell them I'm doing well," she offered softly. It was never her intention to make people worry about her, but she just couldn't buy into the Nash family tree.

"I will…" Traci smiled. She wanted to say something like, _they love you, or actually miss you, _but she knew that her sister was not open to hear that. So she left situation where it lay between the two of them; with the fact that Chelyn acknowledged that she was cared about. "So you and Gabrielle…"

"She doesn't like being called, Gabrielle. Call her Elle…"

"So you and Elle getting along…well?"

Chelyn knew where this conversation was headed and stretched to shake off the funky feelings the question arose in her. It had been three days since the ill-fated kiss and although Elle seemed on edge around her, Chelyn had let the experience roll off of her back. Well, at least she wanted it to appear that way. She didn't want Elle to be uncomfortable, so she pretended that the kiss was a drunken mistake. That's how it seemed to play with Elle, so who was she to catch feelings?

"Don't do that Traci…"

Traci laughed at her little sister. "You are so easy to read, Chelyn…what's going on between you two?"

"Nothing…" Chelyn promised.

"Where is she now?" Traci questioned noticing that Elle's car was nowhere to be found.

"Grocery shopping probably…she has a thing about an empty fridge…"

"So you like her?"

"I'm not in high school," Chelyn blew out a noisy breath. "And no…she's a good partner and we're working a case…" she tried to sound firm, but her voice betrayed her.

"What happened," Traci asked raising a critical brow.

"Nothing!" Chelyn growled. "I hate being your little sister sometimes…" she moaned. "I bet all younger siblings have to put up with this…"

"I think so," Traci agreed with a hint of humor in her voice. "Steve and Gail go through it constantly…but don't change the subject…what's going on with you and Elle…you haven't sle…"

"Whoa whoa whoa… there has been no sleeping with anyone…" Chelyn cut her off.

Traci narrowed her eyes. "Okay…" she looked down at her watch. "It's getting late…so I'm going to run…don't make me drive up here to check on you ever again," she said playfully heading down one step. She paused for a moment. "Chelyn…if you like her…like seriously, make an effort. None of your normal…blasé, I'm too cool for effort stuff."

Chelyn took her sister's words into consideration. "Have a safe trip back, Traci," she said leaning against the woodwork of the porch.

"Effort Chelyn…you'll be surprised how well it works," Traci said opening her car door. She wanted to tell her sister she loved her, but stopped. "Don't be a stranger okay?"

"How can I be a stranger…I'm your little sister," Chelyn waved and watched her sister back out of her driveway.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey everyone, got caught up getting everything buttoned up for the holidays, but now its time to focus on Gail and Holly! Here's the next chapter, enjoy! Reviews and comments are welcomed!**

Elephants

"You can't go…" Gail said turning onto her back and pulling Holly on top of her. She flexed her hips and heard Holly moan a bit.

"Stop it, Peck," Holly warned closing her eyes to avoid looking down at her girlfriend. They had been locked in Holly's apartment all day making love and although Holly wanted to sleep, it seemed that Gail still hadn't had enough of her.

"Just postpone it for like a year or so…" Gail said, her hands eagerly seeking Holly's breasts. Holly smacked her hands playfully and opened her eyes to see Gail's frown. Holly leaned down and tongue-kissed Gail passionately. She could feel Gail's hand slide up and down her back, pulling her as close as possible. "I want you again…" Gail confessed against Holly's ear.

"You've had me plenty," Holly teased.

"It's never enough," Gail countered pulling back to look into Holly's eyes. "Let's stay like this forever…"

"What about your job…and my job," Holly said between kisses. She could feel her body heating up and knew that if they didn't stop, Gail would have her wish, yet again. Holly could feel Gail's tongue exploring her mouth tenderly at first, but soon the kisses became more wanton, needier. "Gail…" Holly tried to slow down, but it was impossible when she wanted Gail too. Eventually, Holly gained enough control to set back up on top of Gail.

Gail smiled and turned her head to the side. "What's the matter, Holly?" she laughed. Holly was usually the one testing her limits, it was nice to see that she had the same effect on her girlfriend.

Holly pulled her hair back and felt her entire body flush. "I leave tomorrow," Holly said refocusing on what she was telling Gail before.

"No…" Gail shook her head like a petulant child.

"It's my research …I have to go, Gail. It'll only be a couple of days …and you are about to go undercover…"

"No…I'm not going undercover, I'm supervising an undercover operation…."

"Which is at night," Holly said moving beside Gail now. "I might as well get this over with now, baby," Holly said pulling her knees closer to her chest.

"No…" Gail pouted this time. "Don't leave…Boston is like a million miles away. How am I supposed to take care of my 'needs'…? "

"I assumed this marathon of sex was to help with that…and it is just four days, Gail," Holly laughed.

Gail stretched, making sure to press her body against Holly's seductively. "This is what you do to me, Holly; which is why four days without you is cruel and unusual punishment. What time do you leave tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow night…"

Gail pulled Holly lower onto the bed with her. She bit down lightly on Holly's neck and kissed down to her breasts. "Fine…" she said after a moment of playing with Holly's nipple. "Leave for four days…"

Holly kissed Gail's forehead. "Stop it," she chided. "I'll be back in no time and you'll be 'undercover,'" she said using actual air quotes. She knew, through a slip by Gail, that she would be helping Traci with an undercover operation that may or may not involve a string of strip clubs. Holly wasn't thrilled about this, but the passion between she and Gail was hard to deny, which was why Holly had no worries when it came to Gail's fidelity. "I do wonder what you are going to do with all your backed up energy after you've been in a strip club all night…"

"First of all…I will not be in a strip club; Chelyn is going in to inquire about what we're looking for…" Gail could see Holly roll her eyes. Gail drew back a little and laughed. "Why don't you like, Chelyn?"

Holly looked at her first with surprise, but then blankly. "I don't dislike Chelyn," she said after a moment.

"You do dislike Chelyn," Gail accused laughing. "She's a good kid, Holly."

"I don't doubt it," Holly shrugged sitting up. "But she's reckless…"

"She's a cop…a really good cop…it comes with the job."

"And Elle is into her…" it slipped out, but it was a fact.

Gail raked her hand over her hair. "Why do you care about that…?" Gail asked quickly, although the thought of Chelyn and Elle together made her cringe. "Why do you care if Gabrielle Woods and Chelyn have a thing?"

Holly took a deep breath, "Not for the reasons you think…I just don't want Elle to get her feelings hurt…again. She's a good person, a sweet person, and she doesn't deserve to get hurt again."

"If Chelyn wanted her…which I doubt, she wouldn't hurt your precious Elle," Gail grimaced.

"Hasn't she been married like four times…and she's what…twenty …twenty-one?" Holly offered evidence. "She's a heartbreaker, honey…"

Gail didn't know why she was offended by the comment. "She's not…" Gail shook her head. "She just wears her heart on her sleeve and sometimes that works out badly…very badly for her…so if anything, Elle would probably hurt her."

"Listen…baby, I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just saying," Holly said pulling Gail a bit closer with some resistance.

Gail knew she was protective of Chelyn, but she had every right to be. "Holly, you have no idea what that kid has been through. Her mother left home for groceries one night and never came home. Her father and stepmother practically ignored her; and yes, she was married at sixteen, but he left her. And yes, she got married again, and she left her and took a good chuck of Chelyn's inheritance with her; so …no she's not a heartbreaker, Holly."

"Okay…okay…I'm sorry, Gail. I didn't know," Holly said soothingly. She hated when she upset Gail, especially when Gail was right. She didn't know Chelyn…she just had ideas of what the girl was like. "I just don't want Elle to get hurt again…I still feel…"

"Guilty," Gail finished for her. "I understand that." Gail felt the exact opposite, she wished that Elle would find someone quickly, as long as it wasn't Chelyn Blaise. "They are adults though…"

"Yes, they are adults…" Holly agreed. "Listen, are we going to talk about adults…or prepare you for the four day winter?" she smiled.

"Oh is that what we're calling it, Hols," Gail smirked as she pulled the sheet that was now covering Holly's body, away. "I guess I should really store some orgasms…"

* * *

><p>The elephant had taken up most of the space in the cabin since Chelyn and Elle's lips had parted that night. He was there all the time, jovially poking at both Chelyn and Elle, although Elle was almost sure she was getting it worse. Chelyn, after about two days of walking on eggshells, had allowed the subject to drop and tried her best to get Elle over the subject without directly talking about it. Yet Elle didn't find it that easy to get over. She had told herself, several times that Chelyn had been drunk that night and that there was no real way that someone like Chelyn would want her. They were working a case together, a case that was going extremely well, and that they were just caught up in the moment.<p>

That theory actually worked for a while, except for the fact that Elle couldn't shake that kiss. It was different from any kiss that she had given or received in her life. She wasn't especially experienced…she had been a painfully shy teenager, which lead to her dating only two guys the entire time she was in high school and by the time she had made the force and come out; she felt like she had missed the boat on most dating etiquette. When she transferred, in a move of absolutely boldness, she had landed Holly Stewart, and that had ended tragically to say the least. Elle couldn't help being in the mindset that she wasn't practically desirable to anyone.

She was the good friend, the nice person and the good cop, not someone that Chelyn would go out of the way to date. This was why she allowed that elephant to stay, even when Chelyn tried desperately to push him out.

_"__Hey,"_ Chelyn had said a few mornings after the kiss. She was standing at Elle's doorway with a fresh cup of coffee and smile. _"I made you a cup of coffee."_ Elle was sitting on her made-up bed in quiet reflection. She took the cup and watched as Chelyn moved back to the doorway. _"Hey…about the other night…"_ she had begun.

_"__No…don't say it," _Elle shook her head. _"I understand…you made a mistake, you had been drinking,"_ Elle tried to smile although it was painfully.

Chelyn had wanted to deny the fact; set Elle straight about wanting to kiss her and still wanting to kiss her, but she saw something in Elle's eyes that told her not to. Perhaps it was too soon, too soon after Holly to want anyone; so she agreed. _"Yeah…I'll lay off the alcohol,"_ she had offered humbly.

And that should have been the end of it; but Elle still need to expunge her memory of the way Chelyn's mouth felt against hers. This was the reason for the first date with Emma. It was a friendly date, Elle and Emma had met at the same bar where they had first met. Emma was pretty, a CPA and plainly bossy. She had changed Elle's drink for her twice and then chided her on the bar food she ordered. Even though Elle wasn't particularly impressed with the date, she had agree to another, which was what she was preparing for when Chelyn entered the cabin that night.

Elle could hear bags hitting the kitchen table as she put in her final earring, so she headed into the kitchen to check out what was going on. "I picked up stuff for dinner," she could hear Chelyn saying. She could hear the smile in her voice, which dampened Elle's mood a bit more. It wasn't bad enough that she wasn't particularly excited about her date, but now Chelyn was doing that thing Chelyn did that made her irresistible. "I was thinking of trying to make some type of pasta…" Elle said unpacking the things in her bag. "Oh…I talked to a wine person…somm…something…and she suggested this wine…it's a Burgundy…which means it's from that place in France…" Chelyn rattled off. She stopped and looked up, "Wow…you look amazing," she said a bit stunned by Elle's appearance.

"I have a date tonight," Elle blurted out. There was no easy way to say that, especially when Chelyn seemed so excited.

"Oh…" Chelyn couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice, "Wow…it was extremely presumptuous of me to assume you wouldn't have a date on a Friday night…" she bit down on her lower lip and grimaced from the pain she forced on herself. She wasn't okay with Elle dating, because that would invalidate her theory. If Elle wasn't over Holly, that was understandable and Chelyn could deal with that…but the fact that she was actively dating meant that wasn't the case. She just didn't want Chelyn.

"Chelyn…I can…" Elle began. She would cancel, easily, even happily, because spending a night with Chelyn cooking for her would be a dream come true. Even in the wake of knowing that Chelyn was just being nice…

"No…you have a date," Chelyn tried not to sound bitter and she forced herself to perk up a bit. "I'll make myself some grill cheese…I'm sure something will be on TV tonight…"

"Chelyn…it's just that Emma asked me out again."

"Of course…why wouldn't someone want a second date with you," Chelyn said honestly. "Well…have fun," she put her ingredients away, but left the wine on the table, not really sure what to do with it. "I'm going to jump in the shower…have fun on your date," she reiterated brushing a bit too closely to Elle as she headed down the hallway.

Elle stood there for a moment and thought about calling off her date. Eventually, she decided there was no reason to get her hopes up and found her keys to head out.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?" Gail asked feeling Holly's backside move, pushing a gush of cold air against her naked body. Her eyes were still closed and in her sleep she had managed to block out the ringing of Holly's phone. She felt a tender kiss on her lips.<p>

"Go back to sleep," Holly smiled. "I'm on call tonight and an emergency has obviously come in.

"It can wait until the morning," Gail said trying to pull Holly back. She refused to open her eyes although she knew she was going to need to make an effort to keep Holly in bed. "Baby…"

"Gail …" Holly moaned when Gail's hand found her breasts, "I have to go…"

Gail was about to say something when she faintly heard her cell phone buzz. "Shit…" she moaned, releasing Holly's breasts and turning to the other side of the bed. "Peck speaking," she picked up the phone grumpily.

"Detective," she could barely hear Robert through the static and background noise. "Detective…"

"Robert, I can barely hear you…"

"He's being arrested, Detective…" Robert's phone continued to break up.

"Who…who is being arrested?"

"Theodore Nash…" the line went dead, but Gail had already shot up in bed.

"What's wrong…?" Holly questioned a bit startled by Gail's actions. She had removed herself from the bed and was quickly throwing on clothes.

"My operation could be going up in smoke!" Gail said frantically. If Theodore Nash was arrested it would very well compromise everything her team was working towards with the Joshua North case. Theo was being tailed by Robert, leading the team right to all of the interesting activities that he and Joshua North participated in. Soon, Gail would have enough information for a warrant and then they could pounce on Theo, which would lead them straight to Joshua North. This would all go to hell if Theo was arrested earlier, because without a doubt, Traci would get involved.

Gail moved quickly, "I have to get to station, call me when you get a chance…" she kissed Holly quickly. "Love you," she said nearly jogging out of the room.

It was too late and Gail realized that when she entered the Division and Traci was already there. She was standing there beside a man that Gail knew by name only. Jason Nash was Traci and Chelyn's father and he had jumped when he heard that his little brother was being thrown into the back of cop car earlier that evening. He had quickly called his oldest daughter to pull some rank and get his little brother sprung from jail.

"There has to be a misunderstanding…" Traci said easily. "Theo would never hit a woman…" Gail could hear as she approached the space were Traci, Steve and her father stood. "I'm sure someone is just mistaken…"

"She's pretty beat up, sweetheart," Steve didn't look convinced. "She seems convinced that Theodore Nash was the person that tried to beat the hell out of her."

"Steve…" Traci narrowed her eyed. "He wouldn't do that!"

"You damn right! My baby brother has never put his hands on a woman in anger!" Jason vouched.

"Can we at least talk to someone," Traci said putting her hand on her father's shoulder to calm him a bit.

"There is no one to talk to, baby," Steve said carefully. "He'll be in lock up until at least Monday morning…"

"The hell he will!" Jason barked. "Now listen, I want my brother out now! There is no proof…"

"Sir, there was enough to get him arrested," Steve tried to say as respectfully as possible to his father-in-law.

"Gail, what are you doing here," Traci asked just noticing Gail. Gail didn't answer, only looked at her brother, trying to convey the importance of not letting the cat out of the bag. Steve knew about her case…she had had to tell him out of pure necessity, and now she was hoping he didn't betray her trust.

"I'll called her for something else," Steve redirected his wife's attention. "Traci, baby, he's going to be in lock up until Monday. There is nothing we can do…."

"Are you telling me that my daughter is a cop, and married a cop, and her sister-in-law is a cop; not to mention the upper brass that you married into…and you can't get some bullshit charges dropped on your own family! If this was for that screw up of a little sister of yours…you'd have her out in ten seconds flat!" Jason said through gritted teeth. He knew very little about Chelyn's life besides the fact that she lived in that shithole of a cabin that her mother left her.

"Dad, there is nothing we can do…" Traci said feeling like a ten year old getting yelled out by her father.

"I'm calling my lawyer!" Jason said solemnly. Jason turned to leave and Traci went with her father.

"Did he do it?" Gail questioned softly when Traci was out of earshot.

"Someone beat this woman terribly…" Steve said trying to shake the image from his mind. "She named Theo Nash and she's been to the hospital to have a rape kit done. He's not going anywhere, Gail."

"Did she say why he had beaten her?"

"Drug fueled rage…" Steve said rolling his eyes. "Listen Gail…I don't wanna tell you how to run your case, but we have Theodore Nash already…here's the time to go for North too."

"We don't know how long we'll have Nash…and if he'll turn on North."

"You gotta try, Gail. Push hard…get him to flip on North and close this case…" Gail waited for Steve to finish, because she knew something else was coming. "I don't like lying to my wife..."

"You are not lying to Traci…"

"It's the same thing," Steve whispered. "Close this case as soon as possible Gail; go talk to Theo…"

"Then I might as well talk Traci about it now…" Gail said sadly. She had wanted to shelter her friend…both of her friends, but the time had come. She walked through the walls of the Division, looking for Traci, but secretly hoping not to find her. Of course, with Gail's luck, she found Traci almost immediately.

"Traci…I need to talk to you," Gail said trying to manage some level of calmness in her voice. Traci wasn't like most people, she was loyal, which Gail knew would translate to her being loyal to her uncle even though he was a creep, that hung around with a creep, who was likely killing women. Still, she took a fortifying breath and went about explaining why she thought Theodore Nash was a freak, who could get her closer to Joshua North, the killer.

"So you've been investigating my uncle!" Traci said with more disbelief than actual anger. "Why wouldn't you tell me that…no scratch that question…did Chelyn put you up to this?"

"No…she didn't put me up to anything…Traci there is proof and him beating on a woman doesn't help his case."

"My uncle didn't do that! Gail…listen…my sister hates our family…she's probably lying…"

"You don't believe that, Traci," Gail said carefully. "You don't believe that Chelyn would lie about something like this…it's her job…and you have said louder than anyone that Chelyn puts her job before anything. Do you think she would be petty enough to frame or lie on your uncle."

"He is NOT connected to Josh North that way! The man beat him…they are not friends…"

"Joshua North beat him because he has dirt on him, Traci…"

"Gail…I thought you were my friend…" Traci shook her head. "No…I thought we were family …this is not what family does." Traci turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Gail called after her.

"I'm going to talk to my sister…and you better not talk to my uncle before I get back, Gail!"

"Traci …do not blame Chelyn for this…"

"Gail…there is no one to blame but Chelyn!"


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who takes time out to leave a review! I love hearing them and seeing what everyone is thinking about the story so far! Please enjoy and leave your comments :) I'm definitely listening...as always, I own nothing :)**

Family Feud

And there she was, brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed before nine on a Friday night. Chelyn knew that she could go out; likely get laid by oh so many different people. It wasn't arrogance…well it was arrogance; the type that was cultivated from the fact that, not only had she relished the attention of both sexes, but had been equally open in doing so. Yes, she had had a husband, and then a wife, and when she went out, there was really very little that she wasn't attracted to or for that matter, wasn't attracted to her. Yet, she brushed her teeth, on a Friday night, a little before nine o'clock so she could go to bed and pine over the person who didn't want her.

Chelyn brushed furiously, waiting for that feeling of freshness that helped her sleep soundly throughout the night. Her mother had been less than strict on most things, but brushing her teeth before bed and having a cup of water beside her bed had been staples in their nightly rituals. Chelyn spat out her toothpaste, gargled with water and then mouthwash. and looked at her teeth in the mirror. They would survive another day, she decided. She walked out of the bathroom and frowned, seeing the half-finished bottle of beer on the kitchen counter. She hated wasting beer, almost as much as she hated wasting liquor, but in her haste to close her eyes to the misery she felt about yet another date of Elle's, she had started her nightly ritual without finishing the final bottle she had opened.

She made her way into the kitchen and toyed with the bottle while sighing. Fresh teeth or finish the beer? The decision was minute, but held all the encasings of something that Chelyn didn't want to deal with that night. She had swallowed her pride, taken a shower while Elle left for her "hot date" and come back into her kitchen and living room to smell only the traces of Elle's perfume lingering in the air. The smell had distracted, no taunted her while she prepared her lone grill cheese sandwich and ate it while leaning against her kitchen cabinets.

The damn bottle of Burgundy, the one that she had spent an hour picking out, had mocked her with every bite of that sandwich. Pasta…she was going to try to prepare pasta for the evening, something with a red sauce and chicken…but Elle had a date…with Emma. Chelyn grabbed the half-finished bottle of warm beer and headed back down the hallway towards her bedroom.

Chelyn had abandoned the habit of falling asleep on the couch, because more nights than not, Elle ended up on the couch watching television into the wee hours of the night. So there she was, lying on top of her made-up bed thinking about the days when things were so much simpler. When on a Friday night, she would have indulged herself in a carefree night of lust or at least drinks with someone sexy at a bar.

She didn't know when she drifted off, only that she was awaken when she heard the front door slam. She had been asleep for less than fifteen minutes, but the sound of someone calling her name called her to attention. Chelyn rubbed her eyes and swung her legs to the floor. She opened her bedroom door while still rubbing her eyes.

"Tell me you didn't." Traci was standing in her the middle of the living room floor, completely seething. Traci had tried to calm her temper on the way up to the cabin, but the fact that her little sister had betrayed her was still seeping through her pores. "Tell me that you didn't use something that was personal family business and use it in your 'investigation' Chelyn; because I don't think I'll be able to forgive that…"

Chelyn rubbed her eyes and frowned, "What are you talking about, Traci?" she asked, the magnitude of her sister's anger was completely lost on her. She was newly awake and confused by the fact that Traci was back, in her cabin, and seething at her. "Traci…" she rubbed her eyes and looked at her sister.

"Why would you tell Gail that Theodore is friends with Joshua North?" Traci spat.

"What are ... because he is friends with Joshua North…he's likely in on everything that that sick bastard does…" Chelyn had recovered her wits and now understood why Traci was there. "Traci…Theo is no angel…"

Traci recoiled as if she had been slapped. "How would you know, Chelyn…you know nothing about MY family…"

"Your family…" Chelyn smirked; at least they were on the same page with Chelyn categorically denying any relation (besides Traci) to the Nash clan. "I know guilty when I see it…and Theo knows more than he's letting on."

"I called you that morning because you are my sister, and he is your uncle! And YOU turned him into Gail…what position do you think that puts me in! Gail is my sister-in-law…"

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door, the door knob turned and Gail came into the cabin. She had wavered between interrogating Theodore Nash and following Traci to Chelyn's. It wasn't surprising that Traci would head to her sister's house…she was out for blood, and Chelyn was practically fresh meat at this point. Gail knew that deep down, Traci had an inkling that Theo may be guilty, so her anger, righteous or not, would be directed at the little sister, who had pointed this out.

"Traci…" Gail began, but Traci quickly rebuffed her.

"Stay out of this Gail," Traci said without even turning around to look at her sister-in-law. Her eyes were focus, deadly so, on her little sister. "How could you Chelyn."

"It's true!" Chelyn said coming down the hallway closer to her sister and Gail. "Theodore Nash and Joshua North are connected…"

"Yes! Joshua North nearly killed our uncle! And you've used your imagination to somehow connect them by other means!"

"Traci…the evidences are more than can be faked…" Gail offered. Traci turned and cut her eyes at Gail. Although Gail had never seen her friend this angry, she still felt compelled to defend Chelyn and the work that she had done. "Traci…"

"Shut up, Gail!" Traci spat. She turned back to her sister. "Chelyn…I've spent the last eight years trying to make you feel comfortable, making sure you felt like a part of the Nash family. My mother welcomed you into her house…you spat in her face by getting married…our father offered you anything…you moved up here into this shitty cabin…but you know what, Chelyn, I'm done. You don't want family…you wanna wrap yourself in the memories of your mother …fine." Traci said calmly. She watched as Chelyn's eyebrows' furrowed with latten anger by her words. "But you know what's funny…" Traci began with a merciless, yet content smile. "This is what you wanted all along. Ever since your mother died…you've wanted to be left alone and on your own…"

"That's not true," Chelyn almost whispered.

"Yes it is…because your mother had convince you that we were all terrible. But you know what, Chelyn…your mother was little more than a two-bit slut…."

"Traci!" Gail said in disbelief. She had never heard or even thought that Traci held such malicious thoughts. Gail could see the second that the words broke the skin of Chelyn, leaving the girl trembling with a mixture of heartbreak and anger.

"You should stop," Chelyn warned her sister. "You are going to say something that you can't take back…and right now, I'm going to chalk this up to your anger…" Chelyn warned through gritted teeth.

Traci laughed humorlessly, "Something I'm going to regret?" Traci smiled, "Chelyn, your mother was sixteen and sleeping with a married man…the only reason she didn't sleep with our uncles was because she found she was pregnant with you…and then, she had the nerve to become a martyr and kept you from your father. She was a bitch…but that never mattered to any of us. Chelyn, I took you under my wing…I begged Gail to let you shadow her when you were old enough, and this is how you repay family. It's good to know that the apple never falls far from the tree…your mother was a bitch, and as if its magic, you've managed to be one too."

"Get out of my house," Chelyn said firmly although she could feel her eyes filling with water. "Get out of my house and never come back up here…"

Traci took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. Her words had worked like a charm, even though her anger felt like snake venom coursing through her veins. "Well…now we'll both get what we want…" Traci shrugged and brushed past Gail to open and slam the door behind her.

Gail and Chelyn were quiet as they heard Traci's car start, backup and screech out of the driveway. "Chelyn…" Gail wanted the right words to say; she had wanted to warn the girl before Traci had gotten to her. "I'm sorry…"

Chelyn looked at Gail, a tear slipping past her closed eyelids. "Gail, just go…" it sounded more like a plead than a command.

"Chelyn…"

"Just go… Detective!" she shouted this time. Gail took a deep breath and turned to head back out of the cabin door. It was a few moments after Chelyn heard Gail's car start that the girl finally allowed herself to cry properly.

* * *

><p>The embarrassment of coming home after just an hour out on a date would have to be absorbed by Elle, she had decided as she pulled into the drive of the cabin. Hell, she assumed that Chelyn wouldn't even be home. It wasn't out of bounds to believe that Chelyn had went out and found "trouble" of her own on a Frida night, so just maybe, she would have a nice, quiet, embarrassment free night of watching television and eating ice cream on the couch without having to answer questions on what had gone wrong on her date. It would have been so much easier if Chelyn was out, because Lord knows, everything had gone wrong on this date.<p>

It had started with and was completely Elle's fault; that much she could admit. She couldn't really focus on Emma…instead she kept thinking of the look in Chelyn's eyes and the dinner and bottle of wine that had been bought for her by Chelyn. Why in the hell did Chelyn have to do that…she likely just wanted to get in her pants, Elle had rationalized; or just needed someone to play with until something more permanent, more attractive came along.

Elle took a deep breath before entering the cabin. It was almost as if Elle could feel that something was off in the cabin. The same bubbly exuberance that usually greeted her when she entered the place was now lifeless and heavy. It didn't take Elle long before she spotted Chelyn, lounging awkwardly with her feet pinned on the coffee table while her body sat on the chair facing the door. The television was off and the cabin was eerily quiet, as Chelyn rested her head on the headrest and she peered into the ceiling.

"Hey," Elle said shyly. She felt out of place and shy all of the sudden. "Are you okay, Chelyn?" she questioned moving closer to her friend as she asked. Chelyn didn't answer, but by the time Elle had gotten close enough to see that tears streaked Chelyn's face, the girl had already sat up and was now wiping her face. "Chelyn, what's the matter?" she asked again.

Chelyn sniffed. "How was your date?" the girl redirected the focus from her and onto Elle.

Elle shrugged, not even really thinking about the answer to the question. She was automatically worried; worried because she had never seen Chelyn like this before. "What's the matter Chelyn?" she asked again.

"My sist…Traci knows about the case now…and she's not happy," Chelyn explained finally looking at Elle.

"She realizes that this is job," Elle said quickly. "She'll get over it…"

"You don't understand what it means to be a Nash, or a Peck, Elle," Chelyn shook her head sadly. "It all operates different…and I circumvented my father and sister, and she was the only person on my side…now, not so much. And the really pitiful thing is…I really love my sister. She's always been good to me and now she feels betrayed. She won't believe that Theo has anything to do with Josh North until we bring them down."

"Well then, let's bring them down," Elle said feeling motivated by not only her job now, but the fact that this was getting between Chelyn and her sister. She didn't know Traci well, but the fact that Chelyn loved her was enough.

"It's not that easy now…" Chelyn mumbled. Elle looked at her, her expression laced with disappointment. "No…we will get Josh North and Theo …but Traci and I …she said horrible things about my mother, Elle," and there were the tears again, even though Chelyn tried desperately to deny them.

"Sweetheart, no," Elle couldn't help herself as she bent down at the chair beside Chelyn. "You two will be fine…you are sisters. She didn't mean what she said, Chelyn." Elle ran her hand up and down Chelyn's back until her tears somewhat subsided. It took a moment, but Chelyn finally looked up at Elle. The woman who kneeled before her in pair of dark-washed jeans and black button-up blouse, was the one person she needed to see her as strong and in command of her emotions; and yet she was blubbering like a baby in front of her.

Chelyn moved to the edge of the chair and then stood. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Elle, you don't have to be nice to me," she said after a second. "It's sweet of you …but don't…"

Elle was quickly hurt by the brush off. "What does that mean..?" Elle stood and nearly stood eye to eye with Chelyn.

Chelyn stared at her a moment and shook her head, tired of the charade. "I kissed you, Elle and you preferred to pretend like it never happened. For a while, I understood…I thought that even though I was feeling something…even though we were feeling something…maybe it was too soon after Holly…but then you start going out on dates with some girl you met at a bar. How do you think that makes me feel…I mean you have every right to date…but it makes me feel like shit, Gabrielle."

Elle was baffled. "I thought…I thought it was an accident…that you were drunk…" she stammered. She tried to reach out and touch Chelyn, but the girl moved away too quickly.

"I wasn't drunk, Elle. I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you, but you acted like I had forced the plague upon you so … I'm backing off…but you can't be nice to me like this, because I'm going to keep feelings for you and I'm going to feel like shit."

"Why didn't you just say that?" Elle frowned.

"I'm saying it now," Chelyn blustered.

Elle nodded slowly, "Yeah…you are saying it now," she came close and pressed her lips against Chelyn's. Chelyn's mouth held firm for a moment, but eventually softened against the applied pressure of Elle's mouth. It didn't take long before Elle's arms had casually wrapped themselves around Chelyn's neck pulling her closer.

"What are we doing?" Chelyn questioned once their lips parted for a second.

"I'm kissing you," Elle said deciding that she may as well be bold. She moved her mouth over Chelyn's lips again and this time Chelyn fully reciprocated the kiss. Elle steered Chelyn to the couch and they both collapsed onto the plush cushioning. Elle was in control, taking her time to explore Chelyn's mouth thoroughly. It was fun and exhilarating, having Chelyn like this and it wasn't long before Elle had Chelyn pinned in the corner of the couch. She could feel Chelyn's hands exploring her back and hips and pulling her a bit closer. It wasn't long before Chelyn could feel Elle slowly pull away.

"What's the matter?" Chelyn asked, moving closer and kissing Elle's neck now.

"Wait…wait…wait… I don't think I'm ready for where this is going to end up going…"

"Where is this going to end up going?" Elle looked at Chelyn with mock frustration. "Oh…" Chelyn sighed and finally grinned a little. "Elle," she cupped the girl's face, "this won't go anywhere you don't want it to…"

"I just know that you probably don't wait that long before you get what you want …" Elle fumbled with her words.

Chelyn recoiled a bit, "Not at the expense of the person I wanna be with. Elle, I'm not going to pressure you into anything…I just want you to know that I have feelings for you," she said meekly. "There is no pressure…"

Elle gritted her teeth as she moaned, moving back towards Chelyn to kiss her again. "I have feelings for you too…" she said when she moved back, "I just don't know what that means…"

"Okay…" Chelyn nodded, understand the apprehension. "Why don't you just be in control for a while…if you want to date, we'll date…if you want to not do anything…we'll not do anything…"

Elle looked at Chelyn and smiled. "And if I want to kiss you…" she leaned over and captured Chelyn's mouth one last time, "I can kiss you?" Chelyn agreed with that idea above any.

Chelyn took Elle's hand and threaded their fingers, "But how about for now…we just talk?"


	21. Chapter 21

Picking

It had been a hapless adventure; trying to pull herself from the allure of Holly in the night leading up to her four day departure. Gail had actually managed to leave; only because Theodore had been "caught" and it was essential that this fact didn't mess up her investigation. And she had seen Theodore, Traci, and her father, Jason; and then the fallout in the family once Traci realized that Chelyn had "betrayed" her trust. This was perhaps why Gail hadn't done what she should have done and interrogate the shit out of Theodore and pinned his ass to the wall…at least for something. Either the beating of his girlfriend; or the string of murders that Gail and Chelyn were sure he was connected to; yet instead, Gail had done what Traci demanded and left the bastard alone. Gail had rationalized that it was the weekend and there was no way Theodore was getting sprung from that tiny holding cell used for all the weekend scum until at least Monday morning. She had time…or at least she thought so...

"So, you let the person, who was a direct connection to your lead suspect in a string of murders, be released?" Elaine Peck's voice was eerily calm as she looked over the paperwork on her desk. Her daughter sat across from her, and her blue eyes darted from side to side. "No words Detective Peck?"

"I thought I would have until at least today…no one gets released on a weekend…"

"Yet, Theodore Nash did get released?" the disappointment was evident in Elaine's voice.

"It was an unexpected development…Traci's father has more pull than I assumed…"

"Speaking of my daughter-in-law," Elaine said through gritted teeth, "she has officially taken a leave of absence, because of this little stunt that you didn't follow through with! If you had Theo Nash on the hook…why would you let him go!" she slammed her hand on the desk so forcefully it shook. "It's a truly thorough shame that the only person with enough sense or determination to get a case closed is a twenty-two year old kid!" Another voice raising, fist slam. "While you were wrapped up in your girlfriend…" it was a bitter recognition of Holly's presence in Gail's life, "she was doing you and Traci's job by finding a gun outlet in a strip club…"

"I owe her a beer for that one…" Gail muttered.

"You think this is funny, Detective?"

"No ma'am…I think…no, I know I screwed up and it's my job to fix it. I don't need a lecture. I'll make it right."

"You damn sure will…because you have two weeks to close this Joshua North case…and I suggest you get ready for some undercover work, because that's the only way I can see it being closed!"

"We can get it closed without putting them in that type of danger…"

"Really…do you really have any credibility after spending most of your weekend wrapped in bed while your subordinate closed your cases? At least Chelyn closes her cases…so you should assume that the Joshua North case is now Chelyn's…because I want it closed!

* * *

><p>There were a million things that people don't say to one another each day; and a million things that Gail Peck failed to say on a daily basis too. For this, she knew most people had to be grateful. Gail Peck was a self-described "picker," and if people didn't know how to take her, they were bound to get their feelings hurt. She had been lucky enough, however, to have friends like Traci, Chelyn, and Holly; because for the most part, they ignored her sharp words and sometime blatant torture. This was why when she sidled up to the barstool that Chelyn occupied, she didn't feel the least bit apprehensive about the teasing she was about to lay on Chelyn.<p>

It perhaps started innocently, with the hot pink pants that adorned Chelyn's slender frame. "Do you not own any normal colored pants…not just like, a pair of blue jeans…?" Gail questioned, sitting on the barstool beside Chelyn and beckoning the bartender over. It was a little before eight and although Gail had just left the station, she had dreaded going home to an empty apartment. Holly wouldn't be back until tomorrow evening and the boredom that occupied her absence only served to make Gail less pleasant. Well, that and the doting of Elaine Peck on Chelyn…Gail hadn't wanted to admit it, but her mother's approval of the girl hadn't tempered Gail's mood at all.

Chelyn peered down at her attire, smiling at the way the hot pink played off of her dark brown skin. She had even been so nice as to pair the pants with a simple button up white shirt, because she knew she was going to get some slack from Gail about the color of the pants. "What is wrong with what I have on?"

"Your outright refusal of primary colors?" Gail asked. The bartender put a glass in front of her and filled with bourbon; she was a regular here. "You know…I think you do that so you don't look so much like Traci..."

Chelyn narrowed her eyes at the mention of her sister's name…the sister she hadn't heard from in days even though she had been compelled, not once, but three times, to try to contact her. The girl took a swig from her beer, "I don't look much like Traci," she shrugged away the similarities in their look. They both had the blemish-free, smooth, dark chocolate skin tone of their father, but everyone had to admit that Chelyn's eyes were a bit darker, more soulful. Chelyn was also a bit taller, maybe an inch or so over Traci's five-foot six statue, and decidedly more slender than her sister. Chelyn had went about her "rebellious" phase, where she had cut her beautiful shoulder length hair, but it had grown back it seemed quicker than she had cut it; oh, and there was the epic body art that she had inscribed vertically on her ribcages. Still, none of this struck down the fact that Chelyn and Traci looked just alike…

"Didn't you say one time…that the fact that you and Traci looked so much alike cemented the fact that Jason Nash was your father?"

"Did you call me here so we could talk about Traci?" Chelyn questioned finishing her beer.

"I actually called to thank you…for getting the information we needed for the Guns and Gangs case…"

"Operation Striptease?" Chelyn smiled. "Well, it was a hard job…"

"Oh, yeah…I know it was terribly burdensome…" Gail said toying with the top of her highball glass. "Breast in your face…women taking off their clothes…"

"I actually spent most of my time in the backroom talking to someone who wanted to feel me up and smell of a mixture of tequila and piss…" Chelyn admitted. "Luckily, he spent his most of his time looking at my tits and spilling his guts about everything he ever knew about anything…"

"He didn't have a lot to look at…" Gail said talking a large swallow of the bourbon.

"Does Holly get back tomorrow…because this Gail is terrible…"

Gail ignored the comment. "My mother is giving us two weeks to close the Joshua North case."

"She's pissed that Theodore got lifted without a charge?"

"That would be an understatement. She's demanding undercover at this point…two weeks to close…you and Elle…"

"That's not a problem…we'll close it in two weeks," Chelyn said confidently.

"Yeah, you must be tired of having Elle around all the time…you can finally get rid of her when this operation is over," it was a taunt, a tease for information. Chelyn knew it was a trap, but the mixture of alcohol and overall giddiness at the mention of Elle made Chelyn less tightlipped.

"I don't know. We'll still see each other when this operation is over."

"Like at work?" Gail asked for clarification. Chelyn shook her head slowly. Gail rolled her eyes and let out an aggravated breath. "You just have to put yourself through the most pain possible don't you?" Gail finished her drink and beckoned over the bartender, who refilled her glass.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you are unexplainably nice and open to everyone for reasons I have yet to understand…and she is… Chelyn could you just take a step back and think about this." Gail was genuinely concerned about Chelyn now. All joking aside, the girl was too open, too trusting when it came to relationships and although Gail wanted to believe that Elle cared about Chelyn, it was a bit soon after her break-up with Holly. Hell, she had broken up with Holly and she couldn't get over her in nearly a year, never mind a month! "Why do you constantly have to wear your heart on your sleeve?"

"I'm not," Chelyn shook her head. "We just like each other…we're exploring that."

"She's a month of out of her relationship with Holly and she moves in with you on a mission. How much could she really feel for you right now?" When Chelyn wouldn't respond or even look at Gail, Gail sighed. "I'm just trying to look out for you…I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can't live like that, Gail. Afraid of getting hurt all the time. I like her, a lot and if she likes me for me, great…if I find out later on that I was her rebound, it'll feel like shit, but I won't regret it and I'll deal with it." Chelyn stood and pulled a wad of bills from her back pocket.

"I got it," Gail said quickly dismissing the girl's desire to pay for her drinks. She felt strangely and tragically sad for her friend; sad because Chelyn was bound to get hurt, but also envious because at least she was willing to get hurt. She failed to comprehend how someone could put herself out there with such ease and fervor as Chelyn seemed to be able to. "My mother thinks I'm a shit cop, Chelyn."

Chelyn offered her friend a bright smile. "She thinks we are all shit cops compared to her, Gail. But she trusts you, because you are smart and a great leader. We all trust you. She took a chunk out of your ass for letting Theo go; but we'll get him again, and Josh," Chelyn whispered.

Gail wanted to tell Chelyn the truth; tell the girl her secret about having panic attacks and feeling unsure of herself more than she felt sure. But would that change the trust and admiration she was now sure Chelyn had for her. Gail shrugged, drowning the contents of the glass; "Che…" Gail began, her blue eyes searching Chelyn's dark brown ones, "I'm not as strong or great as everyone thinks."

The girl nodded her head in agreement. "None of us are…"

* * *

><p>"I was a bitch to Chelyn today," it was a confession because Gail knew that Holly would give her absolution.<p>

"She will forgive you," Holly said easily. "She's used to you…why were you a bitch to her though?"

Gail pulled her phone from her ear and looked at it. "Do you really wanna know," she asked when she replaced the device to her ear.

"Would you rather hear about the rehydration of tissue technique I perfected today?" Holly giggled.

"Well…my mother chewed my ass out because instead of interrogated a suspect, I had your legs wrapped around my waist until you left. And then, being my luck, the bastard got sprung before I could interrogate him…oh and Traci put in for a leave of absence this morning. Oh, and Chelyn is all but in charge of the Club Amnesia case because she can close cases, but I obviously can't."

"You've had a long, terrible day," Holly felt sorry for her girlfriend. "I wish I was there to kiss it and make it better.

Gail closed her eyes and her mind went directly to the reason she was in this mess anyways. "Storing orgasms," with Holly had been the undoing of her Friday night, and Saturday during most of the day until Holly got on a plane to Boston. Holly was sexy, in a smart kind of way and it seemed like the smarter she seemed to Gail, the sexier she became.

"Where exactly would you kiss me?" Gail questioned devilishly.

"We were talking about you being a bitch to Chelyn…" Holly laughed.

"She was an easy target. She's still upset about Traci, but she won't admit it. And, on top of that, she all, but admitted that she and Elle were having a thing. I kinda threw a wrench into that too."

"You have been busy today. Have you talked to Traci?"

"Her phone goes straight to voicemail. Baby, I really need you to come home and take care of me…" Gail whined.

"Take care of you, how, Gail Peck?"

"I would settle for just being held right now," Gail admitted. "In the next two weeks, my life is going to be 'to catch a predator,' so disregard my attitudes and behaviors, okay?"

"Just promise me you won't start pulling away and shutting down."

"I promise…you just promise not to take any snarky or jackass comments personally."

"I never do. I'll be back home around six tomorrow evening, if my flights are on time. My place or yours?"

"I was planning to pick you up from the airport."

"It sounds like you have a long day tomorrow and I don't want you rushing to try and pick me up. I'll catch a cab and you can meet me at my apartment?" Gail didn't like it, but agreed. "And then you can tell me about the strip club…" Holly poked.

"Oh…I didn't go, Chelyn was on her own, but she handled it."

"So me going to a club here in Boston was all in vain?"

Gail couldn't help, but bust out laughing. "I don't know, how are the girls in Boston?"

"They have NOTHING on you…" Holly laughed too. "And I plan to make you prove it when I get home…"

"That is a challenge I'm looking forward to…"

* * *

><p>Elle found that the tiny pleasure that spread through her body when she allowed herself to thread her fingers with Chelyn's was increasingly delightful. Chelyn had agreed to meet her at the grocery store after meeting with Detective Peck. It was time to restock the fridge and cabinets again; and although Elle was accustomed to doing these menial tasks by herself, it felt good that Chelyn had at least agreed to come too. So Elle had waited outside of the store, looking around the parking lot until Chelyn pulled up on her motorcycle. And when Chelyn had gotten off of the bike, removed her helmet and made her way over to Elle, Elle instinctively threaded her fingers with Chelyn's. And there it was; that spreading feeling of delight that was put there by physical contact with Chelyn.<p>

She hadn't wanted to notice when Chelyn offered her a tiny, regrettable smile; one that didn't quiet reach her dark eyes, or that when they reach the line of pushable carts, that Chelyn unceremoniously un-threaded their fingers. "Did you make a list?" Chelyn had tried to smile fully, and Elle shook her head hard enough to make her dark brown curls bob up and down.

"I even put your cereal on it…the one that is all chocolate, no nutritional value," Elle said stopping to pick up rye and wheat bread.

"It's funny how I haven't even thought about my cereal lately," Chelyn offered, playing with the long sleek ponytail that she had now pulled the top of her head. She had fussed with her hair a few times since getting off of the bike; a mixture of nervous tension-releaser and the fact that the helmet produced an unbearable amount of static in her hair. She had managed to pull it into a messy ponytail that made her look even younger than her twenty-two years, but her soft beauty wasn't lost on a sporty-looking girl milling around the bread aisle also. The girl had taken her time to look over Chelyn more thoroughly than the bread and offered her a cocky grin when Chelyn finally acknowledged her presence. Elle couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy.

The girl was tall, probably even taller than Chelyn's five-seven frame, and athletically lean. "She was pretty," Elle offered when they had moved on to another aisle.

"Who?" Chelyn wasn't feigning ignorance; she had been lost in thought and the girl had barely even registered on her radar. "Oh…the girl back there? Yeah, I guess so. What's on the list?"

Elle frowned, but pulled out her phone that held the list. "Are we in a rush?" Chelyn shook her head and pulled Elle a bit closer.

"It's just when I shop without a list I end up getting lots of alcohol, chocolate, and sodas without anything else."

"Well, I won't let you do that," Elle said giving Chelyn a quick peck on the lips. This was the other thing that Elle couldn't rightly ever figure she would get used to. The delicate feel of Chelyn's lips on hers. Her lips were soft and it seemed always ready to receive kisses. It was probably the availability of Chelyn's lips that was even more fascinating for Elle. It hadn't been like that with Holly, or for that matter, the girls before Holly. Holly had been distant and secretive as if she were still cheating on Gail; and the girls before Holly, well both of them had been closeted in a small town, so there was no public affection. But Chelyn… in the past few days, Elle realized that Chelyn had been serious about letting her take the lead. So whenever she wanted to kiss Chelyn, she kissed Chelyn, and it felt wonderful.

"You're being quiet," Elle commented as they moved throughout the store. "Is something wrong?"

"We are going to that club," Chelyn offered, but Elle could tell something else was on her mind. Undercover work did not frighten Chelyn Blaise.

"Is that a problem?"

"Of course not…we are prepared, we are a good team. But we do only have two weeks so it's important for us to be efficient…Gail is counting on us."

"Is that what she told you at the bar?"

"More or less, and to thank me handling Operation Striptease…" Chelyn laughed at her given name for spending three nights in a strip club.

"You are very good at what you do," Elle agreed with Gail for once. Elle watched Chelyn giggle, not really comfortable with many compliments. "We won't have a problem with the club case, will we?"

"No…" Chelyn said even though she had a sticky feeling that this case closing was going to have a grand impact on her life.

"Is there something else wrong, Chelyn?" Elle asked softly. She and Chelyn had made it back to the cabin, unloaded and put away the groceries and now Chelyn was sitting in her favorite chair beside the window.

"What do you mean?" Chelyn feigned innocence, but she had to admit that she couldn't the fact that Gail's words were playing over in her head.

Elle pulled her brown curls back into a ponytail before coming to lounge on edge of the chair where Chelyn sat. "You know what I mean," Elle accused tenderly. She allowed Chelyn to pull her onto her lap and kiss her softly.

"Elle…" Chelyn could hear the reluctance in her own voice, "do you think we are moving too quickly?"

"What do you mean?" Elle wrapped her arms around Chelyn's neck.

"You are still getting over Holly…" Chelyn looked away. "I don't want to pressure you into anything, and you need time to heal, Elle. I can back-off…I can …just be your friend. I didn't mean to pressure you…"

"What did you pressure me into, Chelyn?" Elle was suddenly confused, but above all afraid of what Chelyn was saying. "I wanna be with you...like this." She tried to kiss Chelyn, but the girl pulled back. "Chelyn…what happened?" she asked carefully. "We haven't done anything that is worthy of being called pressuring…"

"I'm not talking about sex…I mean getting into something like a relationship before you are ready.

"Are you having doubts?" Elle's eyes clouded with worry. Elle realized that she wasn't Chelyn's typical girl. From what Elle understood, Chelyn didn't have a 'type' but she couldn't help, but feeling a little inadequate anyways. "Am I not what you want, Chelyn?" She tried to stand, but Chelyn held her steady.

"You know I do …just not if you aren't ready. You are beautiful and smart and sweet…but you could just not want to hurt my feelings…" Elle refused to look into Chelyn's dark eyes. "Listen…Gail and I were talking…"

Elle's eyes shot to Chelyn's now. Just hearing Gail's name had flushed her slightly tanned skin and her green eyes darkened a bit. The girl pulled nervously at one of her brown curls and tried not to scream. "And Gail told you to leave me alone…or that I was using you?" she didn't need the blanks to be filled in for her.

"Not exactly…she just thinks it's soon and I wouldn't want to pressure you into anything."

"You aren't!" Elle said pulling Chelyn closer. "And I'm not pining for Holly…I'm here with you, I want to be with YOU, Chelyn."

"A couple of days ago you were going on other dates," Chelyn said absently.

Elle rolled her eyes to the ceiling. She finally stood up. "Yeah…I did that…" she frowned shaking her head sadly. She couldn't escape that mistake now. Instead of trying to run from Chelyn, she should have stood fast and talked it out with the girl, but it was too late to go back now and it was biting her in the ass.

Chelyn stood, taking Elle's hand, "I'm not trying to throw it in your face, but if you want to date other people…"

"I wanna date you," Elle said quickly. Chelyn's eyes seemed to soften and the girl smiled. "Trust me, I wanna date you…" Elle promised again. She left out the part that she also wanted to KILL Gail Peck.

**A/N: Hey guys! I saved the A/N for the bottom of the page because 1, I wanted everyone to have an unbiased take of the chapter before I explained anything and 2, because I wanted to explain some things :) Now, I know Gail may seem like a bit of an ass in this chapter, but I really do think she wants to kinda protect Chelyn from herself. Also thanks for all your comments and reviews and I will definitely try to address how Chelyn and Elle look more. I keep taking for granted that most of these characters have established images and these two do not. I apologize and I know it's a little late in the story, but I will definitely be working on that. **

**Well as always, feel free to review and comment and thanks, all your comments help me become a better writer and this, an infinitely better story! Enjoy :) **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you all had nice holidays! Now it's time to get back down to business! Please feel free to review and always, ENJOY!**

Costly

Gail watched as her mother replaced the clip in the gun and line up her sights again at the target. Elaine and Gail could both admit that this was perhaps the only thing that they could completely agree on; the love of shooting. Gail could haven't been more than thirteen when her mother first started teaching her about guns, and it didn't even take her a year before she was a better shot than Steve, and competing in competitive shooting. This, among other reasons, was why Gail knew that she was going to end up being a cop. Since the first time she hit a target dead on and her mother smiled, she knew that she was going to follow in the footstep in Elaine Peck.

Elaine turned to look at her daughter, who was watching her, peacefully lost in thought. "What are you thinking about so intensely," Elaine questioned removing her ear protection, glasses and placing her firearm on the space in front of her.

"Nothing," Gail shook her head. She had gone to therapy before stopping by the range. It was a coincidence that her mother was at the range also. Of course Elaine's presence explained why the area was particularly bare right now, but this was one of the times that Gail didn't mind her mother. "Just thinking about everything I guess…"

"Well, how is your case threading out?" Elaine questioned as Gail stepped up, preparing to aim at the target.

"It's going very well…" Gail said before she started unloading her clip. Her mother watched as she emptied the clip with precision. Gail stepped back and focused on the nearly perfect grouping. Elaine nodded her approval, something that made Gail proud, even though she hated to admit it. "I'm having a warrant processed soon for Joshua North; unfortunately Theodore Nash's "girlfriend" dropped the charges on him…"

"Well, maybe she wouldn't have if she was kept safe the first time she had him arrested." It was a jab at Gail, but she refused to take the bait on that one. She knew she had messed up, but she wasn't going to keep apologizing for that.

"Have you heard from Traci?" Gail changed the subject.

"Only in that she needed personal leave…" was all Elaine would offer. "I let her know that I believe throwing away a great career over a family squabble was ridiculous…but she said she needed the time. How is Chelyn?"

Gail stepped back and looked at her mother fully for the first time. She knew that her mother was referring to the fact that the anniversary of Chelyn's mom's death was approaching and the kid became a little depressed when this time of the year came around. "She's still very focused on this case…" was all Gail could offer.

"Well, she always compartmentalized well…" Elaine may have refrained from saying "unlike you," but Gail could feel the implication implied.

"Mom, I can compartmentalize…"

"Is that why Theodore Nash ended up back on the street while you were with your girlfriend?" Elaine questioned sharply.

"I made a mistake," Gail began, but stopped. After a moment she rolled her eyes. "Everyone makes mistakes…"

"Yes, but some are more costly than others. Gail, you were doing so damn well for a while there."

"I was unhappy and hurting, Mom."

"We all make sacrifices, Gail! No one is happy all of the time."

"I love Holly," Gail said trying to keep her voice even. She could feel her blood began to boil just having to keep reiterating this simple fact. "I shouldn't have to choose between her and my career."

"And you wouldn't if you could focus on one while you were with the other. But since that isn't true…ultimately, one day you will have to choose. It may not be today or tomorrow…but…" Gail placed the gun down and moved back a step. She had had enough of this conversation already and she didn't plan to stick around to jump deeper in a fight with her mother. "Wait..." Elaine stopped her. "I don't want to argue with you today, Gail. Let's just finish our time at the range…" For a moment, Gail thought she actually saw some compassion in her mother's eyes. "How about we compete…best grouping wins…" Elaine stepped around Gail and took the gun. She put back on her protective gear and unloaded the gun at a new target.

"Wow…you love competition don't you?" Gail asked looking at the grouping her mother had just done. It was nearly perfect, but she knew she could easily beat it. When it was her turn, she picked up the gun, and steadied her arms to focus on her shot. She got the first two shots off no problem, but by the third shot she could feel her hand pull a little bit. It was the fourth shot that she realized she was shaking just enough for it to be noticeable. She took a deep breath and tried her best to steady herself again, praying that Elaine didn't notice her slight actions. She licked her lips, trying to provide some level of moisture to her lips and calmness to her mind.

"Something wrong?" she could hear her mother ask in the background. Gail shook her head and shakily finished her clip.

"Looks like you win," Gail said placing the gun back in front of her. Elaine looked at her daughter suspiciously for a second before shrugging.

"What was that?" Elaine asked looking at Gail head on.

"What do you mean?" Gail stretched nervously. She clenched her hands into fists a few times, hoping it would release some of the tension she could feel building up.

Elaine was about to expand on her comment when she felt the cell phone on her hip buzz. "Excuse me," her mother left the shooting area, much to Gail's relief. She let the uncomfortable feeling of anxiety rush through her body and gather in her stomach. It was nearly five minutes before she was actually able to move, but much to her relief, her mother never returned.

* * *

><p>"It's not fucking working…" Gail muttered. Holly was sitting the table as they were about the sit down to dinner and somehow talking about a stupid reality show had led to a conversation about her therapy. "Sorry…" Gail began again. "It's useless….I practically had an attack in front of my mother!"<p>

"When did you see your mother?" Holly asked patiently ignoring Gail's outburst.

"Today…at the shooting range." Gail smirked when she saw Holly cringe at the words. "Babe, you do realize I'm a cop right?"

"You know how I feel about guns, Gail," Holly said. She was not ignorant to the fact that Gail's life heavily revolved around firearms, but it didn't make her less weary of them.

"I'm very safe with my guns," Gail promised, even though she was still slightly amused by Holly's displeasure. "Why did you fall in love with a cop if you didn't like guns…?"

"I couldn't help who I fell in love with," Holly stuck her tongue out at Gail. "I'm just worried…I mean what happens when we move in together or when we have kids; where are your guns going to be then?"

Gail was startled by, not only Holly's genuine worriedness, but also the implications that her words just painted. _Children? _Did Holly really want to have children with her? They didn't even officially live together yet…could Holly really be looking forward to a future with her? "Children, huh?" Gail shook her head at the fact that she sounded like a complete dope. "Holly, did you slip up in saying that?"

Holly looked at her weirdly for a moment before smiling. "No…children…you want children don't you, Gail?"

"Of course," Gail said. It was one of the only things she knew with certainty. The fact that she would do anything to be with Holly and that she wanted children. "I just thought…that you wouldn't want to have kids…at least not with me…"

"Who else would I raise children with Gail?" Holly said as if it was a foregone conclusion that she wanted kids with Gail.

Gail sat at the table. "So you've thought about this?"

"You haven't?" Holly countered.

"Of course I have …" Gail admitted sheepishly. Holly placed a plate of pasta in front of her and then moved to sit in front of her own plate. "I just thought you would want a big engagement, a big wedding, a big house…"

"I want all of that stuff," Holly revealed. "You don't want those things?"

"I don't think I'm built for a big engagement or big wedding, Hol."

Holly's smile widened at that. "Fair enough…how about a small engagement and we elope…somewhere tropical…"

Gail smiled also as she got lost in the fantasy. "Somewhere secret and secluded? Where I wouldn't have to share you for a week or two…damn, I wish that could happen."

"Why can't it happen?" Holly frowned.

"Because…" she couldn't think of one reason why it couldn't. Besides the fact that it was too soon to talk about hypotheticals like that. She had cases to close, and she and Holly didn't even live together again. "Don't tease me with fantasies, Holly," she said after a moment. "We have to live in reality and reality is work, my mom down my throat and panic attacks it seems." She watched as Holly cocked an eyebrow, but didn't respond.

"Okay," Holly said after a while. "Why did you see your mom today?"

"Because she was at the range and after therapy, I really felt the need to shoot. Do psychologists get paid to tell you to be open and hope for the best?"

"Is that what she said?"

"Pretty much…and that I was progressing 'well…' but it didn't stop the presence of my mother from sending me into a panic. I could barely even shoot Holly. What if that happens when I really need to shoot?"

"Baby, I don't know what you need me to say. We both know it's a process and the fact that you didn't falter was great, right? You can't be afraid of what hasn't happened…"

"That's just the point…I'm terrified of what may happen. I can't stop listing all of the bad shit that may lurk around the corner. I will die if my mother finds out that I have panic attacks…she will likely try to get me removed from my rank. Quietly, of course, and in a manner that won't look bad on the Peck name, but I can give up being a Detective and sign myself up for a desk job if she finds out…"

"One, she's not going to do that…she knows you are a great cop, and two, Gail this is nothing to be ashamed of. Baby, please stop feeling that it is." Holly would never say as much, but it frustrated her to no end that she lost nearly a year with Gail, because she thought that it was unacceptable to suffer from something she couldn't control.

"Okay…okay, I'm sorry," Gail pouted a little. "At least my mother seemed to be a bit human today…" she offered Holly a smile. "She asked about how Chelyn is doing…because you know…it is nearing the anniversary of her mother's death."

Holly knew all too well that this was nearing the anniversary of Chelyn's mom's death. It was usually the time of the year that the kid would take off from work, lock herself in the cabin and eventually have to be lured out and constantly checked on by Gail and Traci. "Can I ask you something?" Holly began as she placed her fork beside her plate. "How did Chelyn's mother die?"

"She was hit by vehicle on one of those twisty roads up near the cabin. Angela was the type of person who hated cars…too much pollution or something, so she had a bike. The store is about three miles from the house, so she would ride her bike there sometimes. Chelyn said she had left to get milk one evening and when she didn't come back, Chelyn went to look for her. Someone hit her and left her in a ditch…she bled to death. For some reason my mother was called up there…I was a rookie and took the call while I was out on patrol. It was the saddest thing I had ever seen. Chelyn was this kid, just in shock, sitting a few feet away from where some asshole ran over her mother…it still makes me cringe to think about it…"

"Jesus," Holly mumbled.

"I stayed with her until Traci and her father came down to the station to get Chelyn. I felt so incredibly bad for her…I don't think I would have been able to make it if I was Chelyn…but she's resilient. It's just that this time of the year is impossible for her."

"I can understand why…is she and Elle going into the club?"

"Yeah…there is really no other choice, but it won't be too intense. We're waiting for our warrant, they'll go in and make sure he's there and we'll arrest him…no problem."

"Are you sure…the last time it was something simple, you and Chelyn ended up in the hospital."

"This is A LOT less complicated than that…I promise…"

* * *

><p>"Your father has been on the war path the last couple of days," Traci's mother announced before she was even all the way in the house. Besides Steve and Gail, Traci didn't trust anyone more than Marjorie Nash, which was why she had immediately taken solace with her mother after she had asked for extended leave for personal reasons. Of course Steve couldn't understand why she needed time off; as if her family drama wasn't wrapped entirely around Gail's unsolved murder cases. "I'm just warning you…"<p>

"Well thanks," Traci said plopping down in a chair in the living room. "Everyone is on the war path lately."

"Well, he's furious about Theodore," her mother rolled her eyes. "As if the man isn't a degenerate," she whispered sitting down. Theodore had been in and out of her house for days, her husband Jason giving him free reign to his house, since they were sure that the police had a vendetta out against him now. Even though Jason had miraculously gotten the charges dropped on his brother, everyone knew this was far from over. "How is Chelyn?" Marjorie was the only family member that actually knew that Chelyn was an officer.

Traci bit down on her lower lip. "She's fine I guess…"

"You still haven't apologized?"

"For what… we were supposed to stick together and she went behind my back to prosecute our uncle…."

"She's a cop, Traci. She's doing her job." The fact that Marjorie was no fan of Theodore's, was not lost on her daughter. Still, Traci was surprised at how quickly her mother jumped to her little sister's defense. "She puts her life on the line, just like you, only in a different capacity. And she's your sister, and you love her…"

"When did you become a Chelyn fan?" Traci questioned rubbing her temples.

"Theodore is no angel, Traci. Don't put your reputation on the line for that man, no matter what your father says."

"What happened to loyalty, mom?"

"Then you should probably be loyal to your little sister…" Marjorie surmised. "Whatever she found on Theodore…" Marjorie stopped her words and looked up at the figure in the doorway. "Sweetheart…" Marjorie began.

Jason didn't speak, only narrowed his eyes at his wife and then at his daughter. After a while he began to remove his tie. "I'm going to get dressed, we have a dinner to attend in less than an hour," he announced to his wife.

Traci glared at her mother. "How much did he hear?" she asked when her father disappeared down the hallway.

"Probably nothing," Marjorie rationalized.

Traci nodded slowly. Her father seemed like his "normal" self, but she couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps her father had heard something he shouldn't have…


	23. Chapter 23

Complicated

The night was supposed to turn out better, Chelyn conceded, as she lounged on her bed. She rubbed the middle of her forehead, trying to push away the mounting bit of pressure she was sure would turn into a headache in a few moments. Chelyn took a deep breath and sat up to look at the woman in front of her. She wasn't sure what exactly to call Elle, but she knew that she probably liked her a little too much at this point. This is why tonight turning out like shit was such a big disappointment for her. "Chelyn, I'm …"

"Don't…" Chelyn held up her hand quickly. "Don't apologize, Elle," she said plopping back on her bed in frustration.

Elle frowned, not sure whether she should come further into the room or not. She opted to come and sit on the edge of the bed. She had never seen Chelyn rightly angry, but if there was any time for the woman to be rightly angry, it was right now.

Chelyn had gone through the trouble of exquisitely planning a romantic evening for the two of them, and Elle, upon her own admittance, had been little more than a brat. "You are angry," she said after a tight moment of silence. The realization not only hurt her feelings, but deeply worried her. See, this romance with Chelyn, was not going the way of any that Elle had experienced before. She was left feeling vulnerable and nebbish in ways that she couldn't imagine she would. Chelyn had proved to be sincere and open-hearted, when Elle was truly embarrassed to admit that she was accustomed to dealing with women, who were either hard-to-get, or real desires lay elsewhere. With Chelyn, she didn't distinctly have to worry about this and it caused a new kind of problem for Elle.

"What do you want me to say then?" Elle asked slowly, trying to find Chelyn's eyes.

Chelyn sat up on her bed and again and shrugged. "Nothing…so you didn't like the restaurant or the food…we had a bad night…we'll try again some other time," she answered softly. She had taken Elle to one of the nicest restaurants in Toronto, and had spent more money on that one night than she had spent on groceries for all of last year possibly. Not to mention the fact that she had called in three favors to actually get them a table at the restaurant, and had spent more money on a new dress than she had ever spent on any piece of clothing; but still, Elle wasn't impressed or even happy about the occasion. She had been reluctant to order anything off of the menu, and when the bill came, she had all but fainted at the massive bill for the meal.

Elle reached out to grab Chelyn's hand, "Babe, that's not true," she promised looking into Chelyn's chocolate brown eyes. "I loved the effort you went through to make this evening happen…I just…" no words came to mind to express how she was feeling. Elle had spent her life, it seemed, being everyone second pick. She was her mother's "second favorite," and when it came to relationships, she was always the hunter…never the hunted. Although she hated to admit it, this was probably why she always had a feeling of being less worthy than most other people. It was definitely the reason why she was nice to nearly everyone, and went out of her way to make people feel comfortable and wanted. It actually stunned her that it seemed Chelyn would go completely out of her way to make her feel special. That, compounded with the fact that the meal had come to nearly four hundred dollars, made Elle cringe at the effort. Still, she would never want to hurt Chelyn's feelings.

"It was just too much…" Elle began, "I didn't deserve it," she tried to explain. She looked down at the blue and white down comforter and could feel the tears well in her eyes. She was embarrassed and afraid that in the end, this would make Chelyn come to her senses and stop liking her. "I don't want you spending money on lavish dinners for me…"

Chelyn smirked a little, "But I want to spend money on lavish dinners for you," Chelyn sighed. "I thought it would be nice…a nice change from us holed up in the cabin every day and night. I mean…I know girls like you deserve the best…and I don't have a lot else to offer, besides a nice dinner every now and then," Chelyn said moving her hand to play with her silk black ponytail.

"Chelyn, I've never dated anyone like you," Elle said softly.

"That's what I figured," Chelyn said softly. She stood quickly, leaving a flush of air between herself and the bed and went through the door and down the hallway to the kitchen. She returned minutes later, holding a highball glass of cold vodka.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way," Elle's green eyes followed Chelyn to where she stood. "I mean, no one has treated me as well as you do, Chelyn. I don't want you to feel like you have to do extra stuff, because you are already light-years in front of everyone else I have dated. Chelyn, don't be mad at me," Elle pleaded. "I'm sorry, I was an ass tonight in not enjoying what you planned, but it was because I don't want that type of relationship with you."

"Do you even know what you want from me?" Chelyn questioned draining the vodka in the glass. She had spent money on a fancy dinner and wine, but now all she wanted with hard liquor and sleep….perhaps a good cry, but that was a combination of a lot of things. "I don't think you want me at all…"

"Geez…" Elle sighed loudly. "What do I have to do …?"

"You don't want me to take you out…you don't want me to …" Chelyn stopped herself. "I just don't understand what you want, Elle…"

Elle swung her legs to the edge of Chelyn's bed and stared at Chelyn for a while. "Are you mad, because we haven't made love?"

Chelyn gritted her jaw, but shook her head, no. Every night for the past week had been excruciating for her. Every night, Elle would take a nice, long, hot shower right before it was time to go to bed, and then snuggle up on the couch or either in Chelyn's bed. Her scent was intoxicating, and coupled with the fact that she was fresh-faced and naturally beautiful, in Chelyn's opinion, drove the girl wild. Elle would wear an oversized tee-shirt on most nights, which would barely make it mid-thigh and eventually Chelyn would find her hand resting just below the hem of the material. This would inevitably lead Elle to look at her and smile, softly moving her lips over Chelyn's...they had spent more time "making-out" than Chelyn truly thought was possible; but it always ended with Elle eventually going back to her own room for the night and Chelyn wishing that she lived under an ocean where there was nothing but cold water to tame her runaway hormones.

But yet, this was not the issue. The issue was that Chelyn was highly confused on what Elle expected from her; and unlike how she dealt with most people, she really gave a shit about what Elle wanted. "I just wanna make you happy," Chelyn dropped the pretenses and made her way back over to her bed.

Elle smiled softly and pushed a curl out of her eyes. "You make me happy, but you also make me nervous," she admitted somewhat ashamed. She didn't want Chelyn to know how truly inexperience she was when it came to relationships. "All of these issues come up in my head when I'm with you…"

Chelyn lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, still seeing Elle in her mind. She was still in the blue and black dress that she had worn to dinner, the one that zipped down the side, and her dark brown curls were still pinned to her head. It was earlier in the evening that Chelyn had imagined what it would be like to unzip that dress; likely slowly and with her teeth, and watch that dress gather around Elle's ankles. Chelyn shook that image away and opened her eyes to the disappointed look in Elle's green eyes. She had discarded the dress about thirty minutes earlier and allowed her curls to flow freely around her shoulders. Now she was fresh-faced, with an oversized nightshirt resting against her thigh, and Chelyn trying desperately not to notice.

Chelyn ran a steady hand against Elle's cheek. "Nervous how?"

"I wanna be perfect for you …"

Chelyn outlined Elle's lips with the pad of her thumb, "Oh…" she barely whispered, seeming to understand what Elle meant. She leaned in closer, placing a kiss on the side of Elle's mouth. "Perfect…huh?" she asked when she pulled back just long enough to press a kiss along Elle's jawline. She threaded her fingers with Elle's and moved to take full control of the girl's mouth. She couldn't help but smile when a tiny moan escaped from Elle's lips, and it was nearly impossible to restrain herself when Elle stretched out beneath her. She hesitated for a moment, just long enough for Elle to frown and the cloud of doubt to fall upon her.

"Is something wrong…?" Elle said scrambling backward a bit.

Chelyn shook her head. "No," she promised moving back over Elle. Elle smiled, tired of second guessing what she was feeling for Chelyn. Her hands went to the button-up pajama top that Chelyn now wore, as her lips sought Chelyn's. She felt the buttons releasing and smiled when the tattoos on Chelyn's ribs cages were finally exposed. Her hands went there next, and she could feel Chelyn trembling against her touch. Elle could feel Chelyn's hand on her thigh now, gently rubbing the exposed skin, which prompted Elle to relax a bit under the pressure of Chelyn's body. "Are you sure?" Chelyn's eyes were a mixture of pent up lust and determined patience.

Elle nodded slowly, not really able to speak the words. Chelyn still hesitated, but Elle pulled her closer and locked lips with her again. It was finally all the answer Chelyn needed, because she quickly shed the pajama shirt. She moved to the side of Elle now, but before she could become comfortable, she heard the most annoying sound ever. "Unbelievable," she growled as the house phone began ringing on her nightstand. She knew that it must be important; hell, rarely did anyone even remember her house number. She looked at the phone that was now flashing neon green and then back at the woman beside her. She almost reached over to the nightstand, but Elle's hand on her ribcage told her she would be a fool to actually answer a call right now.

* * *

><p>"I think I screwed up," Traci said in a hushed whisper. Her husband was in the other room and after calling her sister's cell, and house phone what seemed like a billion times, Traci had digested the fact that Chelyn was through with her. This was why she had resorted to calling Gail. "Gail…are you listening?"<p>

Gail yawned, and shifted under the weight of Holly's body. She moaned softly, reveling in the feel of Holly's breasts pressed against her shoulder and arm. "Traci, what are you talking about?" Gail asked while her eyes were still closed. She had only opened them enough to grab the phone off of her nightstand and now she had closed them back to the darkness again.

"Gail, you can't let Chelyn go undercover now…" Traci began to explain.

"Trac…I am in no mood to hear this shit," Gail said sharply. She hadn't heard from her sister-in-law for nearly a week and the first time she does hear from Traci, it's about preventing her investigation.

"Gail, you don't understand…"

"Of course I understand…you want to protect your uncle; hell, I even let you get him off the hook once in essence, but I'll be damn if that happens again," Gail said firmly. She wasn't in the mood to have this conversation, therefore she did what was the only reasonable thing to do and hung up the phone. She tossed the phone back on the nightstand and it landed with a thud.

"Gail…who was that…" Holly asked shifting and turning her back to Gail. Gail could feel Holly's ass land against her thigh and had to smile. She was pissed at being awakened when she desperately needed her sleep, but why not make lemonade out of lemons.

"It wasn't important…" Gail said snuggling closer to her girlfriend. She kissed just behind her ear and then her neck.

"Gail…" Holly moaned half groggy. "It's way too late for this…" Holly protested even though she turned onto her back. "Who was on the phone?"

"Traci," Gail said between kisses.

"What did she want?" Holly tried to open her eyes so they could adjust to the darkness.

"Nothing important…something about Chelyn not going undercover."

"Why?"

Gail let out a frustrated groan. "Babe…I don't know. All I know is we're getting our warrant, busting this bastard and it's all gonna be over….now…since we are up…" Gail smirked.

Holly chuckled. She kissed Gail quickly on the lips and then turned back over. "Good night, Gail Peck."

* * *

><p>"That's a very graphic sound," Chelyn whispered and she couldn't help but smile when Elle face flushed with crimson.<p>

"Don't tease me," Ellen punched Chelyn playfully as she buried her face in the side of Chelyn's neck. She had never really concentrated on her own pleasure when it came to sex, but Chelyn had worshipped her body.

"I'm not teasing you," Chelyn laughed. She ran her hand up and down Elle's spine and felt her shiver against the touch. Elle pulled back for a moment, found her shirt and pulled it on before resuming her position nestled up beside Chelyn. "Are you cold?" Chelyn asked curiously.

Elle shook her head, "Not really," she admitted. For some reason, she just hated being naked in front of anyone, even her lovers.

Chelyn looked at her seriously for a minute. "You know you are beautiful, don't you?" When Elle didn't answer, Chelyn made sure Elle was looking at her. "You are gorgeous, Elle," she said sincerely. "And your body is amazing," Chelyn said rubbing Elle's hips and down to her thighs.

"I know YOU think my body is amazing," Elle laughed nervously.

"And I will gladly prove to you how amazing I think it is every day…" Chelyn said kissing her forehead.

"I bet," Elle made circles as she outlined Chelyn's tattoos.

"Elle, I need to tell you something," Chelyn began. For a second, Elle could feel the air being sucked out of the room. It was never good news, when someone, who she had just slept with, wanted to tell her something.

Elle sat up and looked back at Chelyn, "Are you still married or something…or seeing someone else…"

Chelyn cocked an eyebrow. "No!" she seemed startled by the implication. "Elle…no, it's nothing like that… it's just that, it's a difficult time of year for me. The anniversary of my mom's death is like three days away and I usually get so depressed…"

"Baby…" Elle mumbled. "I'm so sorry," Elle pulled her into a hug. "If there is anything I can do…"

"I just want you to be here with me…and I wanted you to know. I don't wanna keep anything from you; I just feel so lucky to have you with me," she said softly. She didn't want to cry, but she could feel emotions well up in her throat.

"I am here with you…thank you for telling me, Chelyn," she kissed her lips softly.

"I'm just used to everything going wrong around this time of the year and for once, I think everything may go right."

Elle snuggled back into Chelyn's body. "It will if I have anything to do with it…I promised," Elle vowed.


End file.
